A Change in Fate
by IceWarrior13
Summary: Adam had two choices: let his best friend leave the White Fang and spend his life alone, or join her in her betrayal. His choice changes everything... I only own my OCs. (AN: Undergoing updates for better quality and story).
1. Prologue

Adam Taurus calmly walked over to his partner as she sat on a rock in the Forest of Forever Fall, waiting.

"Blake." The Bull Faunus alerted the girl of his presence, and she looked back at him. "It's time."

"Okay." Blake slid down the side of the rock and walked over to him, looking up as she placed a hand on her hip. Adam gazed down at her for a moment, thinking that something seemed off about his partner, then the two started running through the woods, black against a forest of red.

* * *

Blake and Adam arrived at a cliff overlooking some train-tracks, and leapt down onto the roof of the vehicle as it rushed past, its horn blaring. Adam leapt first, Blake right behind him, and Adam drove his sword into the roof of train as he landed, Blake landing next to him and holding on without much effort or noise.

Getting up, the two ran over to an escape hatch on the roof of a train car, Adam shooting the lock that held it shut and opening it, looking down for a moment through the slope of his Grimm-mask. Adam leapt in, Blake following, and...

"Looks like we're going to be doing this the hard way." Adam smirked lightly, looking back at Blakw. They were surrounded by Atlesian Knights, and they a.l activated as the two drew their weapons.

"Don't be so dramatic." Blake rolled her golden eyes, smirking playfully. A Knight prepped machine-guns in its arms.

"Intruder! Identify yourself." It ordered in a monotone voice. The Bull Faunus smiled deviously before firing _Wilt_ (his sword) out of _Blush_ (the sheath/gun), hitting the Knight in the head and knocking him back.

Charging, Adam grabbed his blade out of midair and sliced the mech in half. The rest of the Knights drew blades and charged, but Blake attacked with her own blade, _Gambol Shroud_. The two went to work, slicing and shooting, Adam being able to easily deflect bullets with Wilt as he and Blake faced the last few robots. Done with that car, the two climbed back onto roof of the train, more Knights arriving to attack them.

"Let's do this." Adam grinned, growing excited as he saw a battle - a challenge - coming. The two charged, working in sync to destroy their android attackers.

* * *

Arriving in the first Dust car, Adam opened a crate to examine the contents, finding several vials of extremely volatile Dust-crystals.

"Perfect." He looked back at Blake. Move up to the next car. I'll set the charges." Blake frowned, seeming concerned.

"What about the crew members?" She asked warily. The Bull Faunus rolled his eyes behind his mask.

"What about them?" He asked, somewhat irked, and Blake looked away. Suddenly, a spider-droid came down from the ceiling and aimed its weapons. Blake was looking at her partner, again.

"Adam." She tried, seeming uncomfortable. The spider-mech attacked, and when Blake tried to counter its approach, she was thrown to the ground. Adam, seeing this, darted forward and slashed at the robot to buy Blake some time, but he was kicked away, barely recovering in time to dodge some blasts from the mech's cannons. The spider-droid tried to step on and crush Blake, but Adam darted to her side and scooped his partner up bridal-style, getting her out of harm's way and setting her down. The girl looked up, her eyes wide. "We need to get out of here."

Before Adam could reply, the two were blasted out of the train-car by the spider mech's cannons, looking up with alarm as it gave chase. Adam's eyes widened as he quickly got to his feet, placing a hand on the hilt of _Wilt_ , then he looked back at Blake, his eyes narrowing.

"Buy me some time!"

"Are you sure?!" Blake asked, her eyes narrowed. Adam gave a stiff nod, baring gritted, fanged teeth.

"Do it!" Everything on Adam having to do with the color red began glowing, and Blake attacked the spider alone. She was impressive, but eventually she was thrown back again. Luckily, Adam was ready. "Move!"

Blake moved out of the way as the spider fired, but Adam absorbed the powerful blast with _Wilt_ , glowing with hellish brilliance as he let out a small, dark laugh. The spider approached, and Adam lashed out, his single slice causing the spider to near-instantly dissolve into rose petals.

Sheathing his blade as his body stopped glowing, Adam turned and ran over to see his partner standing on another platform, blade drawn. Blake looked up sadly, eyes full of remorse, and Adam raised a hand. What was she doing?

"Goodbye." Blake whispered ruefully, then she cut the connection between the two halves of the train. Adam's eyes widened behind his mask, his world slowing down and making the seconds into hours as he watched her move away, his hand still raised.

He considered where he'd go from there. Back to the White Fang? Without his partner, his closest friend? What about their revolution, their revenge upon those who had wronged the Faunus - the humans? The humans who should, by all accounts, be slaves to the far-superior Faunus! Why was she running away?! Why-?!

 ** _"What about them?"_**

Adam's body tensed, his eyes widening further. It all made sense, now. Blake was her father's daughter, and a constant supporter of the peace. She fought when she had to, but taking lives is something she would never consent to.

What he'd done back there, when she'd brought to him the matter of the lives of the crew members - it wasn't okay. He had, admittedly, fallen and fallen far since he'd joined the White Fang, and Blake had stayed by his side anyway. But this, this was Blake's limit.

The question was, was it Adam's limit? Could he continue down this same path, now that he understood exactly what treading down it this far was costing him? He wanted power, he wanted vengeance, he wanted justice - but could he lose Blake to get it?

... Adam decided.

Running forward, Adam Taurus leapt onto the other half of the train before it could depart, standing up straight as Blake looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Adam?!" She asked, alarmed. "What are you doing?!"

"You're ditching the White Fang, but you're not ditching me that easily, partner." Adam smirked lightly. Blake stared at him, absolutely stunned. Adam couldn't tell what she was more: afraid, or fighting back relief. "So... What now?"

"... I have no idea."

"Blake-!"

"Hey, I'm doing this so that I can find another way, Adam! A peaceful way! If you can't handle that, go back to the White Fang or just kill me now and get it over with!"

"... You think that I'd turn on you, just like that?" Adam asked, frowning. He really must have fallen far... Blake gazed at him, wary, then sighed and looked down.

"I don't know what to think anymore, Adam. I just know that I have to get out, to go and get strong enough to be able to find a new way."

"You are strong-"

"Not strong enough, and you know it... I'm heading to one of the academies. I have to learn how to live among and work with humans." As Blake spoke, Adam's nose wrinkled slightly in disgust. "Adam-"

"I get what you're saying - I do. But Blake, humans-!"

"I know, but if we're not willing to change, then why should they?!" Blake shot back, and Adam blinked. Then, he sighed and shook his head.

"Always so spirited, and stubborn..." Adam looked up at her, frowning. "You'll end up getting yourself killed... So, I guess that I'm going to have to make sure that that doesn't happen."

"Adam?" Blake's eyes widened again. Adam just gazed at her, then gave a small grin as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You're my student, aren't you? I've got to keep you safe, and to make sure that those academy quacks know what they're talking about."

"... You jerk." Blake actually smiled up at him, for the first time in what felt like forever. Adam blinked, then his body tensed as she reached up and took hold of his mask. He quickly reached up to stop her, but her other hand grabbed his wrist. "Adam... It's alright."

Blake pulled the mask away, and Adam blinked, his eyes squinting as they tried to adjust to the full light. Those eyes were a shade of vivid crimson, and as Adam looked down at Blake with an expression of annoyance, she smiled.

"What?"

"You look WAY younger... You could pass for seventeen."

"Tch." Adam rolled his eyes, then he held his hand out. Blake hesitated, then handed the mask back, and Adam stowed it into his pocket. "... Well, then? Lead the way, oh partner of mine."

"... Last chance." Blake frowned, gazing up at him. "If you do this with me... There's no going back."

"Well... What do you think?" Adam asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Do you believe that I can change?" Blake gazed up at him, then gave a light grin.

"You changed into this. You can change back... But I don't think it'll be easy."

"... Name something worth doing that ever is."

* * *

 ** _Well... I know what you're thinking, if you read the original version of this story._**

 ** _"IceWarrior13, you bitch! I loved that original story! Don't you dare change it!"_**

 ** _Well... I sort of fell out of love with the original story, once I became a bit of a better writer and began seeing all of its flaws. So, now I'm taking each chapter and updating it to be - well - better._**

 ** _Just bear with me guys, okay? I'm trying my best to save this story, so don't hold back my metaphorical defibrillators, okay? XD_**

 ** _I only own my OCs. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	2. Day One: Hell

It wasn't easy. Hiding in wait until they were certain that they wouldn't be renumbered by authorities, getting someone in Vale's underground to forge IDs and transcripts, passing Beacon's entrance exam, and trying to avoid killing all humans was actually pretty stressful to someone like Adam Taurus, believe it or not.

Adam sulked, sitting on an airship flying towards Beacon Academy next to his partner, Blake Belladonna, somewhat-relieved that what he considered the hard part was over but still irked. They were in a back corner, away from the other people - mostly humans -, so they could speak freely.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Adam scowled lightly, looking over at her. "Damn you, Blake." At that, Blake let out a small laugh.

"It was this or trying to learn how to deal with humans while also being homeless, Adam." She smirked lightly, and all went silent between the two. "... Don't you dare say you'd rather be homeless."

"I'm not saying anything. Just thinking it." Adam rolled his eyes, then he looked down, somewhat uncomfortable. "Couldn't I have at least kept my mask? This is... Weird."

Adam had taken Blake's advice to try and talk less, as she called it, _scary_. She claimed that most people their age weren't as "dark" and "violent", and that Adam would have to get used to being around humans, teenagers, and human teenagers. He still couldn't help but hate each and every one he saw, but Blake assured him that she would make sure she didn't maim and/or kill anyone.

"I would have-" Lie. "But it would have looked too suspicious."

"... Damn you, Blake."

"Are you going to say that to me every few seconds for the entire trip?"

"Yes." Our "conversation" was interrupted by a report on the news. Adam recognized the human woman from other reports he'd seen, she was Lisa Lavender.

" _In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the **White Fang** disrupted the ceremony._ " She announced, and Adam's eyes narrowed. " _The once-peaceful organization has now disrupted-_ " The anchorwoman was cut off as the screen disappeared, a hologram of a strict-looking woman appearing and glaring at us.

" _Hello, and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such at task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world._ "

Protect the world, eh? Adam would believe it when he saw it.

* * *

The airship arrived at Beacon, and Adam and Blake were among the last to depart. They walked side by side, Adam's hand firmly wrapped around _Blush_ as he looked forward and Blake's head bowed, as she was reading a book.

" _Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_ , again?" Adam asked quietly. Blake nodded once.

"Yeah." She replied, starting to get absorbed again. Then, the two noticed something further up the path. A girl in white was yelling at a little girl in red and black.

Adam instantly knew that the pale girl was a Schnee, as he could see her luggage and the men hired to escort it, along with the insignia on her jacket. The little girl in red looked terrified of the older girl, and even though she wasn't a Faunus, Adam immediately wanted to kill the Schnee for yelling at her in such a way. Adam would have wanted to kill her either way, but this made it more justified and satisfying. Catching a Schnee in an act of cruelty... He prepared to draw _Wilt_.

"Adam." Blake warned, and he paused. "Let's... Try this with words. Get a little bit of practice in."

"Blake, what you are doing is pretty much the same thing as enlisting a kid into an army and immediately shoving him through a door and onto an actual battlefield. Let's walk away, or the Schnee dies."

"Well, I'm going to try it. We're going to have to deal with Schnees if we're going to try to find peace, so-"

"Fine, fine... I'll try." Adam sighed, glaring but releasing his hold on his weapon and letting it hang from his belt. The Schnee was waving Dust in the girl's face, and the kid sneezed, causing an explosion. "That... Was awesome." Blake doled her eyes and picked up the Dust that had been the culprit, and the two walked over as the Schnee kept yelling.

"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"

"I'm really, really sorry!"

"You complete dolt! Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon? This isn't an ordinary combat school! It's not just sparring and practice, you know?! We're here to fight monsters, so watch where you're going!"

"Hey!" Red finally had enough. "I said I _was_ sorry, _Princess_!"

"It's _heiress_ , actually." Blake commented, and Adam crossed his arms from his place by her side. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the _Schnee Dust Company_ : one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

"Finally!" Weiss turned around and looked at Blake, beaming. "Some recognition!"

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners." Blake stated bluntly. Red snickered, and Adam let a small smirk out.

"What?! How dare-?! The nerve of-!" The Schnee glared at Blake, but the disguised cat-Faunus - for that was what Blake was, what with the black bow covering her ears - didn't back down, so she just snatched the Dust away.

"Oh, and _Princess_..." Adam used Red's nickname for the girl. He liked it, he was definitely going to be using it. "Ever think the kid's here because she's good enough? At her age, she's as good as you are currently, probably better. She's already ahead of you personality-wise." The Schnee blinked, then scoffed and stormed off, and Red turned to Blake and Adam.

"I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day." She sighed, looking down before looking at the two Faunus. Blake hadn't moved because Adam hadn't. "So... What are your names?"

"Blake."

"Adam."

"I'm Ruby... Thanks, for what you did." The girl shifted uncomfortably, looking up at the two Faunus with bright silver eyes. The two nodded and walked away, not seeing Ruby fall down dejectedly and a blonde boy helping her up.

* * *

Adam and Blake continued down the path towards the school, Blake reading her book while Adam looked around. At least something could be said for scenery... Adam noticed some bo talking to a Faunus girl, who was sitting on a bench and reading a book, doing her best to ignore his comments.

"What are you supposed to be, sweetheart?" The boy asked, laughing as he tugged on a little brown ear on her head. The girl didn't react, simply continuing to read her book like the boy wasn't there.

"With your size, you must be a chihuahua." The boy sneered, and the girl appeared to grit her teeth. Seeing that he'd finally managed to get to her, the boy grabbed her book from her hands and threw it. "Fetch!"

The book landed at Adam's feet, and he picked it up, looking up at the scene in a rage, his body threatening to start glowing. The bull-Faunus went to step forward, but Blake stopped him as the girl got up, glaring at the boy before taking a few deep breaths to keep calm.

"You'd think for someone training to be a hero, you'd be a bit less biased towards those who are different." She frowned slightly, seeming irked rather than angry now that she was calm. Adam, also calming down, actually took a moment to take in the girl's appearence.

The girl had long, brown hair - calm at the top and curly towards the bottom - that was held in a loose, low ponytail and fell to her upper back, along with a pair of big brown eyes. She wore a high-necked, sleeveless black jumpsuit covered in turquoise armor plating - a breastplate that dipped up top and cut off at the base of the ribs, shoulder pads, knee pads, and a battle skirt that, hanging from her belt, wrapped around her waist and went to the back of the knees, openong in the front to allow for better mobility - with shiny black lining. She had turquoise armored boots with that same shiny black lining, shiny black armored fingerless-gloves, and a shiny black armored belt.

She almost seemed like some sort of punk-knight, and as Adam examined her further, he noticed a shiny black strap that was slung over her right shoulder and wrapped around her body, a strap that that held a large, silver object to her back.

She was, as the boy had rudely pointed out, a bit shorter in stature. She wore no heels, and it was easy for Adam to tell that she was around Ruby's height because of that.

"What did you just call me?!" The boy asked, quickly growing angry. The small girl took another deep breath, closing her eyes, then opened them again. She now seemed to possess a deadly calm that reminded Adam of Blake.

"Biased. Is your brain too devolved to comprehend that word?" She asked, and the boy blinked. Hell, even Adam and Blake blinked at that. "Let's try a few others... You're also judgmental, stereotypical, racist, cruel, and overall pathetic." The girl suddenly grabbed the astonished boy's arm, flipped him over her head and slammed him into the ground. The boy looked up, wincing, as the girl crossed her arms, seeming annoyed. "Get out of here, before I change my mind and give you a real beat-down, you ass." The boy got up and ran, and the girl sighed, closing her eyes. "Damnit..."

"What?" Adam asked, he and Blake walking over. "That was impressive." The girl looked up at him, surprised, and Adam was able to take in a few more of her features. Lightly sun-tanned skin, a small, pointed nose, a small mouth with pale lips, those big brown eyes, a widow's peak in her wavy hair, and light freckles under her eyes.

He also picked up her scent, something that all individual Faunus had and could detect from others, and he smelled pine-needles and wood mostly. Whoever this girl was, she'd grown up around trees.

The girl looked down as Adam held her book out. The girl blinked again, then slowly reached out and took the book before looking up at Adam, giving a small nod.

"Thank you." She spoke quietly, seeming a bit embarrassed, now. Adam's partner looked at her.

"That really was impressive."

"It was nothing, really." The brown-haired girl looked down, smiling awkwardly. "I just hate people like him. But, I shouldn't have let him get to me like that. These first-day jitters, they're making me forget to control my temper."

"You're not the only one." Blake looked up at Adam, who rolled his eyes. Then, Adam looked at the girl's ears.

"Dog?" He inquired, and the girl blinked. Only then did she seem to notice that Adam was a Faunus as well, and she gave a small nod.

"Wolf."

"You don't see too many female wolf Faunus." Blake noted, and the girl seemed to grow a bit uncomfortable. "... I'm Blake, and this is Adam."

"I'm Jenna." The girl managed a smile, then she saw Blake's book. "I read that one a few times. It's good." Blake blinked, then looked at the book in Jenna's hands.

"What's yours?"

"Oh. It's about a girl who has to travel through woods full of monsters, strange creatures, and magic to save her best friend from a powerful dictator with power over ice and snow. It's one of my favorites."

"... Is it Hans Christian Anderson's _Snow Queen_?"

"Yeah." Jenna nodded, growing even more embarrassed as she smiled and rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "I know it's a bit of a kid's story and it's pretty old, but I love it... I'll let you two go. You looked like you were doing your own thing, and I would really hate to be a bother... I guess I'll see you around, sometime?

"Yeah." Blake replied, giving a small smile. "We'd like that." Jenna smiled back, looking up at Adam before turning and walking off, hugging her book to her chest. Adam got a brief look at the device on her back - a large silver rectangle, as it was probably the collapsed form of her weapon. "... How did she keep her cool for as long as she did while that boy was doing that to her? It had to hurt..."

"I don't know."

"And she's strong. I don't think I've ever seen a girl who was that strong without using a semblance."

"It was a sight to see, I'll give her that."

With that, Blake and Adam kept on walking.

* * *

Jenna looked down at the book she was holding, then looked back over her shoulder to watch as Blake and Adam walked away. Once they were gone, she paused and sighed, looking down with a frown on her face.

In her pocket, a scroll buzzed, and the girl cursed softly under her breath as she drew it and raised it to her ear, her brown eyes narrowing slightly.

"Yes, sir?"

 _ **:** Did you make contact? **:**_

"Yes, Professor. It was just like you said - Winchester kept harassing me, and those two showed up straight away."

 _ **:** And? **:**_

"The girl, Blake, seemed nice enough. But the man... He seemed extremely tense, and angry."

 _ **:** So? **:**_

"... You're might be right about him being in the White Fang." Jenna frowned, closing her eyes and sighing. "Between what you've heard of him from those reports you've gotten and what I just saw, he certainly has the attitude for it."

 _ **:** But what do you think, Miss Elurra? Can he be trusted? **:**_

"Professor, you know me. I'm the last person you should ask when it comes to knowing who you can trust."

 _ **:** Yes, but... Did it seem to you like he would have hurt Mr. Winchester if Blake was not present? **:**_

"Yes."

 _ **:** Very well... Do you believe that he would have killed Mr. Winchester? **:**_

"... Sir, I-"

 _ **:** Answer the question, Miss Elurra. **:**_ A moment passed in silence. Then, Jenna opened her eyes, looking up.

"... I think-"

* * *

Blake and Adam attended the welcoming ceremony, and they stood in the crowd, waiting for a while. Adam did his best not to show his discomfort amidst so many humans, and he decided to mimic what he'd seen Jenna do. He took deep breaths, his eyes closed, and he managed to calm himself.

"I'll keep this brief." Professor Ozpin spoke into the microphone, frowning slightly, and Adam and everyone else looked up at the stage. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and where you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." Next, Glynda Goodwitch stepped forward and spoke into the microphone.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight, tomorrow your initiation begins... Be ready." The woman warned everyone. "You are dismissed."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Adam and Blake headed to the ballroom, and they decided to sleep between the boy's area and the girl's area so that they could be close together. Blake was reading her book again, and Adam was looking at his scroll.

Blake had changed into her pajamas, but Adam stayed in his normal clothes. He idly noticed that Jenna girl a few yards away, reading her book. Every once in a while, she'd look up and gaze around warily before going back to the book.

She was wearing white pajama-pants and a white pajama-shirt with black trim and tiny black paw-prints, along with an old, lime-green hoodie. Her hair was out of its ponytail, and the brown tresses fell freely over her shoulders like rippling brown waterfalls. She didn't seem to have a sleeping bag, her only possessions seemingly being an old black backpack (which probably held her combat-outfit and whatever else she had), the clothes on her back, and the book in her hands.

"You know, if she catches you staring, it'll creep her out." Blake commented dryly, and Adam looked over at her, glaring. "... She must be more shaken up than we thought."

"You think that jackass got to her? Didn't you see her take him out?"

"I don't know. Maybe she's just good at playing tough when the situation calls for it."

"Tch." Adam looked down, glaring. "Whatever."

This was why he hated humans. If Blake 's theory had any truth to it, one of his own kind was having to pretend to be something that she wasn't just to survive. It made him sick...

Adam looked up idly as a boy with crazy black hair and green eyes in grey pajamas walked past with a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes in purple pajamas. The boy was talking excitedly, not taking any brakes, while the girl listened patiently but somewhat-irked.

"He's... Hyper." Blake commented, then she raised an eyebrow. .How is he not breathing?" Adam shrugged, not really caring.

"Don't know."

* * *

After Ruby and her older sister, Yang, came over and talked to Blake and Adam before getting into a fight with Weiss, Adam noticed the little blonde girl tilting her head and looking at him and his partner curiously with big blue eyes.

"... What are you looking at?" Adam asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. The girl jolted, blinking in surprised, then grinned awkwardly.

"Sorry! I was trying to see what book that is." She replied, and Blake looked up, surprised. "I'm Pandora, but you can call me _Dora_."

"I'm Samuel, or _Sam_!" The boy laying next to her called, beaming. "Genius, party-animal, and future mega-awesome Huntsman extraordinaire!" With that, he resumed talking to her at rapid fire about something, but she seemed to ignore him.

"Adam, and that's Blake." Adam greeted gruffly, rolling his eyes lightly. "And I suggest that we all get some sleep." With that, he closed my eyes, muttering softly all went silent. "Welcome to Hell, population: me."

* * *

 ** _That was definitely better than the first time around._**

 ** _As readers of the original version know, I've made massive changes in Jenna Elurra. This was done to make her a stronger character, not just an OP girl who just exists as a foil for Adam._**

 ** _I'm also going to be working to develop Sam and Dora some more. They won't just be goofy background characters to be tossed aside when they aren't needed anymore - they'll have purpose._**

 ** _I love those three OCs, and now - I'm showing them a bit more love._**

 ** _I only own my OCs. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks. :)_**


	3. Initiation

The next morning, Jenna quickly packed her things and made her way out of the ballroom, heading into the girl's bathroom. She got a shower, brushed her teeth and her hair - which was still a wild mess -, then she changed into her armor.

After packing her pajamas into her backpack, Jenna went down to the locker room, seeing Blake and Adam at the lockers next to hers. Quietly, the young wolf-Faunus went over and opened her locker, looking down to avoid eye-contact.

She could smell them both. Blake had a scent like fruit and salt, indicating that she was probably from someplace tropical - probably Mengerie. Adam's scent was like sun-dried earth and rose-petals, but Jenna could also detect a light tinge of something coppery. Blood?

"Hey." Blake greeted, and Jenna was shaken out of her thoughts. Her hands, which were closing around her weapon, twitched, and the metal she was holding suddenly became extremely cold. Jenna quickly looked up, forcing a small smile.

"Hey." She replied, drawing her weapon from her locker and swiftly placing it on her back. "Did you two sleep okay? I heard those girls talking to you."

"Yeah, we're fine." Blake answered, Jenna idly noticing Adam rolling his eyes behind her. "You?"

"Yeah." Jenna stood there for a moment, then shook her head, looking back at Blake with a smile. "Well, I like to be early, so I'll see you on the cliffs. Good luck in the initiation."

"You, too." Blake nodded, and Jenna turned and walked off, looking down at her hands once she was sure that she couldn't be seen. Her eyes slowly narrowed, and her fists clenched as she closed her eyes and bared gritted, slightly-fanged teeth.

' _Damn you, Ozpin, for putting me up to this ridiculous task. You of all should know why it isn't safe._ '

* * *

Some time later, all of Beacon's initiates stood on launching platforms at Beacon Cliff.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors." Professor Ozpin began, holding his mug of coffee. "Today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

"Now..." Professor Goodwitch continued for him. "I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates, today."

' _Ozpin._ ' Jenna glared at te headmaster from her platform. ' _This has gone on long enough. You better extract me from this class as soon as I hit the forest._ ' Almost like he could hear her, Ozpin's eyes flit over to her. He gazed at her for a moment, then looked back at the initiates as a whole.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you work well." He stated, and Jenna's eyes narrowed further. "That being said, the first person you make eye-contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years. After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately... Are there any questions?"

' _Why are you such a jackass?_ '

"Uh... A blonde kid who threw up on the ship from Signal, Jaune Arc, raised his hand. "Sir?"

"Good." Ozpin blatantly ignored the blonde. Jenna idly considered how she could sympathize with him. "Now, take your positions."

People began getting launched, and when Jenna was catapulted into the air, she let out a small sigh before quickly flipping to slow her momentum and drawing her weapon. The silver rectangle quickly shifted and expanded into a long, thin staff with a longer cone-shaped spear-tip, and it then changed into a a lasso - silver, with glowing-blue light shining between the shifted metal - that she twirled above her head before throwing it and catching the branch of a tree.

She swung, her fall coming to a stop, and the branch snapped, allowing the girl to hit the ground on her feet. She stood up straight, her lasso collapsing back into a spear-tipped staff, and the girl looked around, frowning.

"Hmm..." Her brown wolf ears perked up. There was something behind her. Jenna Elurra spun around to see three Gryphons glaring at her. The first roared in my face, blowing her hair back, and she blinked, surprised. "Well... Aren't you loud?"

* * *

Adam Taurus stabbed _Wilt_ into a tree, grunting softly as he stopped his fall, then he looked up, his Crimson eyes narrowed as he saw Blake fly overhead and land in a tree. He needed to get to her, before someone else did.

* * *

Jenna yelled and charged, slashing with her spear and leaving a large gash in a Gryphon's chest. The monsters all roared and tried to punch her all at once, but the agile girl dodged and allowed them to crash into each other.

Jenna stood up straight at they recovered, gripping her spear tightly, then she took a deep breath, closing her eyes, before opening them again and brandishing her spear, running straight forward as a Gryphon turned to her and piercing its heart with her silver weapon.

The other two Gryphons noticed this and shrieked in rage. Jenna looked up, her eyes wide, then she quickly ripped her blade out of the dead Gryphon's chest and readied go face the other two.

* * *

Adam ran into a clearing just in time to see Blake make eye-contact with Yang Xiao-Long. He blinked, surprised, then cursed and turned away, storming off.

' _Great._ ' He thought to himself, genuinely pissed-off. ' _Now, who am I going to partner up with? I doubt that I'd be able to work closely with a human, and without Blake, there's no-_ '

His nose twicthed, the bull-Faunus picking up a familiar scent. He blinked, hearing the screeches of Gryphons, then sighed and shook his head.

"Damnit."

* * *

Jenna yelped, flying back after a strike made contact with her back hitting a tree, and she fell to the ground in a heap. Slowly, she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, and she looked up, her eyes wide, as she saw the Gryphon's approaching.

The young wolf-Faunus grabbed her weapon and forced herself to her feet, glaring as she held the weapon out before her. A mechanism activated, the staff curving and separating with the energy leaving the staff and forming the string of a large bow, the bow flashing blue and brown as earth-Dust and ice-Dust was used to form a single arrow, notched on the energy-string.

A Gryphon lashed out, and Jenna released the string, putting the arrow in its skull. It hit the ground, starting to dissolve, the last Gryphon shrieking as it readied to attack.

The girl readied another arrow, baring gritted teeth as she let out a low grow, but suddenly: a flash of Crimson and black darted past, the Gryphon falling over - dead, with its body it in half at the horizontal at the chest.

Jenna lowered her how, her eyes wide, as Adam sheathed he blade. She considered moving or looking away, but he looked back before she could react, those crimson eyes met her own pair of brown.

Jenna blinked, her eyes widening further, then she sighed, shaking her head as her bow shifted back into a staff, the arrow falling to the ground and breaking. Ozpin had managed to get his way, after all. She was going to be a student.

"Well... I suppose that I should say _thank you_ , partner." She announced, and Adam turned around to face her. "So... I guess-"

"By no means does this make us friends. I am only partnering with you because Blake is taken and you're the least annoying person here besides her. Is that clear?"

' _Well, he's blunt._ ' Jenna thought to herself, placing her free hand on her hip as she gripped her spear tighter. ' _I suppose that that's good. You can trust a blunt person to always tell the truth._ '

"Crystal."

* * *

Jenna and Adam walked side-by-side through the forest, and Adam noticed little things. The way she was moving and looking around at the trees, her brief gaze careful glances analyzing the gaps between the trees. She was from a forest, alright.

"So." Adam looked over at her, raising an eyebrow. "What brings you here, anyway?" Jenna looked over at him, her eyebrow raising as well. "Why do you want to become a Huntress?"

"I'm following in my mother's footsteps." Jenna replied, looking forward. "You?"

"I want to be strong enough to bring about the change I want to see in the world." Adam replied, and Jenna blinked, surprised, before nodding. She didn't understand, but she didn't pry. Finally, the two arrived at the Temple, and they looked around at the so-called relics.

"Chess pieces?" Jenna noticed one and grinned. "I vote for the Black Knight." Adam's eyebrow twitched.

"Why?"

"Because it's badass."

"Whatever." Adam frowned, rolling his eyes. Jenna grabbed the relic, and she turned back to him. "You know, I can't really tell. Are you a battle-hardened warrior or an immature little girl?"

"Uh..." Jenna raised an eyebrow. "I'd like to think of myself as the cynical-but-playful chick who's probably going to be in the yearbook as 'Most Likely to Find a Way to Lick an Elbow While Face-Stabbing a Grimm'."

"... You are completely insane."

"I have to agree with you, there - but that just means that I'm not completely insane, as I am still sane enough to know that I am insane."

"Oh, gods. I should have taken my chances and partnered with a human-"

"Oh, so you're one of those." Jenna placed a hand on her hip, rolling her eyes. "Human-hater?" Adam didn't reply. "Well, let's just get one thing straight: my father was a human, and I am perfectly fine with any human who is perfectly fine with me. Got it?"

"... Got it."

* * *

Jenna and Adam began making their way to Beacon Cliff in silence. Arriving, Jenna cringed at seeing Cardin Winchester, the boy who pulled her ear.

"Oh, look!" Cardin pointed, his three new goons laughing. "It's the mutt!" Jenna gritted her teeth, warning herself to stay calm and holding back a growl. "Think fast, Fido!" Jenna looked up and quickly dodged a rock, her eyes wide.

"Leave me alone." She glared, raising her voice slightly, not noticing how pissed-off Adam was getting as he watched the scene from her side. "What did I ever do to you?" The next rock struck her head and bent her right wolf ear, and she winced, dropping to her knees and closing her eyes. Her ears rung, her head throbbed, and she took a deep breath. "I'm warning you... St-"

Jenna opened her eyes and blinked as she realized that all had gone silent, then her eyes widened. Adam stood there, between her and Cardin, his hand wrapped around the bully's wrist.

"... Drop it." He ordered quietly, and a rock fell from Cardin's hand. He looked up at Adam, his blue eyes wide, and Adam smirked darkly. "Now... You're going to run away, or you and my blade can become well-acquainted." Adam released Cardin's wrist, and the bully and his goons ran for it as Adam scoffed, his eyes narrowed. "Bastards."

"Y-you didn't have to do that." Jenna stuttered, her eyes still wide. Adam turned to her, frowning slightly and looking... Disappointed.

"You didn't do anything to stop them." He stated simply. Jenna looked down, frowning. "What? Too scared to stand up to humans when they travel in groups?

"I..." Jenna grimaced, closing her eyes. "I don't... I'm just... I'm sorry, I-"

"Hey!" A blonde girl walked over, waving as she looked at the two with bright blue eyes. She wore a purple t-shirt, a white hoodie covered in blotches of brightly-colored paint, jeans with tears in them, and black and white sneakers. Her hair was in pigtails, she wore a brown cross-body bag that made noise as she moved. Next to her was a boy with messy black hair and green eyes wearing what appeared to be grey karate-robes with dark blue trim and a dark blue belt, with grey shoes on his feet. On his back, there was a pair of sheathed katanas and a holder filled with crossbow-bolts. "I know you! Adam, right?"

"Yes." Adam replied stiffly, looking away from Jenna. "And you're Pandora and Samuel?"

"Actually, we like _Dora_ and _Sam_ better because those names are long and boring and I hate boring things and I came up with Dora's nickname, isn't it cool?" Sam asked, speaking very fast. Adam and Jenna exchanged glances. "So, what chess pieces did you get? We got Black Knights because Black Knights are cool and - OH MY GOD, NEVERMORE!"

The four jolted, Jenna quickly getting to her feet, and they all spun around to see the remaining eight initiates fighting a huge Nevermore and Death Stalker. Among them was Blake.

Jenna could tell that Adam was focused on Blake, since he looked very worried. Several minutes passed, then they watched in awe as one group killed the Death Stalker, and a young girl in a red hood decapitated the Nevermore.

"Damn..." Jenna commented, stunned. "Looks like we've got one Hell of a class."

"... Took them long enough." Adam announced, and the others looked at him with wide eyes as he crossed his arms. "If I'd been down there, both of those things would have been dead in less than four minutes."

"Uh..." Jenna blinked, then she deadpanned. "This is my life, now. I'm surrounded by jackasses, psychos, or over-confident edge-lords. I am in Hell."

' _Damn you, Ozpin._ '

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

That night, at the final initiation ceremony...

" **J** enna Elurra, **A** dam Taurus, **S** amuel Bidaiari, Pandora **C** aixa." Ozpin listed off four names, and all four stepped forward. "The four of you retrieved the Black Knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as _Team **AJCS**_ , led by... Adam Taurus."

"... _Ajax_?" Dora asked, raising an eyebrow. "Like the soap?" All went silent, then Ozpin looked away, deadpanning.

"Acronyms pertaining to color are difficult things to make, children."

"Well." Jenna looked over at Adam, giving a light grin. "Looks like you're our fearless leader, _Edge-Lord_." Adam looked down at her, scoffing.

" _Edge-Lord_?"

"Damn straight, chief." Jenna crossed her arms, smirking lightly as she looked away. " _Edge-Lord_."

"... I fucking hate you."

* * *

After the ceremony, Team AJCS went to their room for the first time. It was right next to some Team JNPR's, which was right across from the dorm that belonged to Team RWBY - Blake's team. The Team AJCS dorm was bigger due to the mixed genders, and as soon as they were all inside, everyone began moving things around to suit their needs.

Dora positioned her bed in a strange way, centering it and placing the foot of it against the only wall in the room that had no halves, windows, or doors. She moved her desk so that a person sitting at it would be positioned facing the bed at the vertical and only able to look straight up and see wall. She prepared her uniform and textbooks for class in the morning, then she went to get changed into her pajamas in the team's bathroom.

Adam moved his bed and desk to a far corner of the room, out of everyone's way, and he plugged his scroll's charger into an outlet by his bedside and began texting Blake, seeming a little irked. He was glad to be the leader of a team, but he wasn't too pleased that Blake was not with him and that two of his teammates were humans while the one Faunus was pretty much a human-lover, in his eyes. This would be difficult...

Jenna moved her bed and desk to be positioned underneath the bookshelves, and she began unpacking her textbooks and some personal books, a small frown on her face. They only took up one of the many shelves, and not even all the way. The empty space left on the shelf was filled by a small picture in a silver frame and a tiny wolf figurine that appeared to be carved out of wood and had a small winder on the right breast. Could it make music?

Sam, strangely enough, did not move his bed from the center of the room or his desk from its position by the door. He did no unpacking or preparing at all, really. Instead, he elected to bounce up and down on his bed, changing _Beacon_ on a repeat and grinning like a hyperactive five year-old.

Dora came out in her pajamas, and Jenna briefly went into the bathroom to change into hers - including the green hoodie. Sam changed into his, and Adam sighed before standing up and going in to change as well. His "pajamas" were a simple black shirt and black sweat-pants, and when he came out of the bathroom, he found Dora pulling Sam off of his bed and scolding him for being so loud while Jenna watched with some amusement.

"Okay, I've had enough of you embarassing me." Dora deadpanned lightly, placing her hands on her hips as Sam giggled. "What do I have to do to make you calm down, you little shit?"

"Hmm... Kiss me." Sam smirked flirtatiously down on her, for he was pretty tall - second-tallest to Adam in the team, with Jenna being the smallest. Jenna let out a small snort of laughter as Dora scoffed, crossing her arms. Adam was just surprised at how quickly the boy could go from being as hyper as a child to being as flirty as the average teenage-boy stereotype.

"You wish." Dora replied, and Sam lightly rolled his eyes. "Pick something else."

"Fine!" Sam threw his arms up before crossing them and pouting, mumbling his next few words. "Maybe we should do a get-to-know-you game so that we can get to know our teammates, since we're stuck with each other for the next four years and they look like they think we're insane."

"Guilty." Adam said shamelessly as Dora looked back at him and Jenna. She blinked, surprised, then deadpanned.

"Ugh... Fine."

"Okay!" Sam quickly sat down on his bed, Dora sitting next to him. Jenna was on her bed, and Adam remained standing. "We say our names, our combat schools, our favorite colors, our favorite foods, and biggest pet peeve!"

"Give you two guesses as to what mine is." Dora commented dryly, looking over at Sam. He looked over at her as well, grinning.

"You know you love me." He announced, and she looked away. "Now... I'm Sam Bidaiari, I went to Sanctum Academy, I like the color grey, I LOVE CHOCOLATE, and I hate it when people think I'm supposed to be depressed because of how I dress! Dora's the gloomy one!"

"I'm not gloomy!" Dora snapped, looking back at him, then she sighed and looked up at Jenna and Adam. "My name is Pandora Caixa. I went to Sanctum, I like purple, I enjoy drinking tea, and I dislike when this one goes on a sugar rush because then he's even more unmanageable."

"You know you-"

"Shut it."

"Well... That was enlightening." Adam stated simply, and Jenna snickered lightly. "My name is Adam Taurus. I was trained outside of normal combat schools, my favorite color is red, I don't have a favorite food, and I have a strong dislike for those who look down upon others for circumstances that cannot be changed and should rather be accepted with open arms." Adam looked over at Jenna, raising an eyebrow. "And you?"

"... My name is Jenna Elurra." Jenna began somewhat-tensely, no longer smiling as she saw everyone's eyes in her. "I was also trained outside of combat schools, my favorite color is blue, I like bacon - don't make dog joke - and croissants, and I don't like people who think that they're somehow superior to everyone else."

"Alrighty, then!" Sam laid down on his bed at the horizontal, his head and legs hanging off. "Now that that's settled, we can all hit the hay!"

"Finally." Dora commented, walking over to her bed and laying down. "We've got class first thing, tomorrow. I refuse to be labeled as a tardy slacker on the first day." Jenna simply laud down on her bed silently, closing her eyes.

"Tch." Adam went over and sat down in his bed, checking his scroll. Blake had sent one final message.

 _I think I like Yang and Ruby. They're goofballs, but they're not bad people. Jury's still out on the Schnee, but I think that I can work with this team._

 _Goodnight, Adam._

Adam gave a light roll of the eyes, then he typed up one last message as well. He considered going into detail as Blake had in her previous messages, but he decided to be simple.

 _Lucky you._

 _Goodnight._

* * *

 ** _Okay, I wasn't sure about the others, but I am 100% certain that this was MUCH better than the original._**

 ** _We've got more personality for Sam, Jenna, and Dora, along with a better idea of what Adam was thinking during all of this craziness._**

 ** _Also: new weapons and clothing for Dora, a new weapon for Sam, and a new weapon for Jenna! I wanted to give them all better versions of these things that went along with their characters, and I think I did okay!_**

 ** _I only own my OCs. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	4. What Partners Do

Adam, used to waking up early in the morning due to the militaristic habits of the White Fang, was the first to awaken in the morning. It was early - sunrise - and his teammates were still asleep, so he sighed, stood, and grabbed his uniform, heading into the bathroom to get ready.

Adam took a shower, brushed his teeth, combed his hair, and got dressed in his uniform, and he deadpanned at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He was dressed in the traditional Beacon uniform, wearing his usual shoes due to a lack of an alternative due to a - surprise! - lack of money, and the whole thing cast too good of an illusion.

He looked like a fucking teenager, in those clothes! That was what he was supposed to be going for, but this was just aggravating! He was twenty-three, it shouldn't have been that easy to make himself look seventeen! What the Hell?!

* * *

Adam returned to the main room and began reading through one of his textbooks. One by one, his teammates woke up and got ready, Adam idly noticing the order and how they wore their uniforms.

Dora woke up first, and when she came out of the bathroom in her uniform, she wore it with tall black stockings, grey shoes, and her hair in its usual pigtails, a silver peace-sign necklace hanging around her neck.

Dora then proceeded to awake up Sam, who came out of the bathroom in the traditional men's uniform, but he didn't tighten the tie and he carried his jacket over his right shoulder with his hand, a pair of black shoes on his feet.

Jenna woke up last, and when she came out of the bathroom, she wore her uniform with knee-high white socks, brown clogs, and her hair in its usual ponytail.

"Oh my gods." Sam covered his mouth with his hands, gazing at Jenna, and she looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "You are so cuuuuuuuuute!"

"Huh?" Jenna asked, seeming surprised. Dora giggled, looking at her in amusement.

"You look like a twelve year-old, dressed like that!" She admitted, and Jenna blinked. Then, she shot a glare at Adam as he started chuckling.

"Guys, quit it!"

"Oh, look at her when she's angry!" Sam pointed, grinning. "That's just adorable!" Jenna crossed her arms, pouting. "It's so precious..!"

"..." Jenna deadpanned, then turned and left the room in silence. Adam raised an eyebrow, smirking lightly.

"Tch. That sure was... Childish."

"HA!" Sam fell on the ground and started laughing, and Dora giggled as well. Adam chuckled, then he blinked, his eyes widening, as he realized that he was laughing with humans, and he quickly calmed himself.

' _Damn... Why did I let my guard down so easily?_ '

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

It was around twenty minutes later when Team A(J)CS finally realized exactly what had happened. The news came in a text from Jenna, which left them all stunned.

 _ **-** Sitting in Peach's class. You have five minutes to get here. XOXO. **-**_

"... Daughter of a bastard." Adam announced, his eyes wide. There was chaos for a moment, then Team A(J)CS burst out of their room at the same time as when Team RWBY and Team JNPR burst out of theirs, all eleven running down the hallway as fast as they could.

* * *

Team RWBY, Team JNPR, and Team A(J)CS practically burst into the classroom just as the bell rang, signaling that they had just barely made it. The whole class looked up, including an extremely annoyed Professor Peach. The nearly-late students blinked, surprised, then they moved into the classroom like nothing had happened. Team A(J)CS quietly made their way over to where Jenna was sitting, as she had somehow kept three spots free.

"... We made it!" Sam cheered quietly as they sat down, and Adam sighed, face-palming. Great, it was official - he had a migraine.

"Took you long enough." Jenna smirked, taking another bite out of an apple she was holding. Her teammates looked over at her, deadpanning, then...

"... Who new a total bitch could be so adorable?" Sam asked, and Jenna immediately deadpanned. "Damnit, you're a kawaii little tsudere..." Adam didn't understand any of that, but Dora evidently did as she let out a snort of laughter.

"Let's just focus on the class." Jenna sighed, closing her eyes. "I'd rather not start my year off with terrible grades."

"Nerd!" Sam shouted, pounding, Jenna opened her eyes, scowling lightly, then went back to paying attention to the class.

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Professor Peach passed out a short quiz so that she would be able to assess the knowledge of the class, then assigned some in-class readings and questions while she went over the quizzes. Adam noticed Sam making paper airplanes, Dora drawing in her notes, and Jenna skipping the readings entirely and just answering questions.

"Well." Peach spoke up, and everyone looked up. "Most of you did average, some of you did poorly, and one of you decided to draw a caricature of Professor Ozpin when Beacon runs out of coffee... I must admit, it is fairly accurate." Sam giggled deviously. "But... There was one student who managed to score one-hundred percent, though I wish that I could give her more credit for all of her detailed answers."

"Hm." Weiss crossed her arms, smirking. Professor Peach looked down at the paper, then held it up.

"Miss Elurra?" She inquired, and all went silent. Slowly, Jenna raised her hand, and Peach walked over. "I must say, you are an expert in biology. Your insight is at a level akin to a master... Tell me, what are three cures to Death-Stalker venom that can be easily obtained in nature?

"... Sap from the crimson trees in the Forest of Forever Fall, brought to a boil then allowed to sit for three and a half minutes exactly before being consumed by mouth." Jenna spoke, and everyone looked at her. "Venom from a normal scorpion of any species has also been known to cancel out the Grimm venom if applied to the wound."

"And, the third cure?"

"The blood of the Death-Stalker that stung the victim, which must be both applied to the wound and taken by mouth before it can dissolve." Jenna answered quietly. All went silent, and Professor Peach slowly nodded, her eyes glinting behind her glasses.

"Perfect."

* * *

After Biology had ended, Team AJCS made their way towards their next class, and Adam looked over at Jenna.

"So... What's the story with you and biology?"

"My father was a scientist." Jenna answered simply. "I picked up a few things while watching him work."

"Then, you are officially _Science Girl_!" Sam announced, grinning, and Jenna blinked before continuing to walk. "What's wrong? You were awesome, in there!"

"I... I just don't like being at the center of attention." Jenna replied simply, looking down. "That's all... _Anime Boy_." Sam's jaw dropped as Dora snorted with laughter, then he raised a hand to his heart as he looked at his partner.

"Et tu, Dora?" He asked, and Dora rolled her eyes before shoving him. Adam gave a light smirk of amusement, then raised an eyebrow.

' _The Hell is anime?_ '

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Late that night, after classes had ended and he had completed his homework, Adam went to train by himself in the arena. After around two hours of that, Adam placed his weapon back in his locker before making his way back to his team's room.

As he walked down one hallway in particular. Adam paused, then he looked down a corridor, his eyes narrowed. He could have sworn that he'd heard something, but even with his night-vision, he saw nothing.

A moment passed in silence, then Adam turned and kept walking, his guard raised. However, he returned to his room without incident and practically fell into bed, failing to notice that there was one bed in the room that was empty.

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

Weeks later, Adam sat at a table next to Blake, eating lunch with her, his team, the rest of Team RWBY, and the ever-ridiculous Tea, JNPR.

"There we were..." Nora began one of her stories, and Adam tried to focus on his meal. "In the middle of the night." Ren chose to correct her story as she went along, not even looking up from his food as they went.

"It was day."

"We were surrounded by Ursai-"

"The were Beowolves."

"Dozens of them!"

"Two of them."

"But they were no match! And in the end, Ren and I took them down..." Nora smiled brightly, slamming her hands onto the table and standing up straight. Adam cringed, then sighed and shook his head. Another migraine. "And made a boatload of lien selling Ursa-skin rugs!"

"... She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now."

"Ooh, ooh!" Sam clapped, grinning excitedly at Nora. "Tell us again, tell it again!" Dora and Ren exchanged glances, then sighed and shook their heads.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked her leader, who seemed... Distracted. "Are you okay?"

"Huh... Oh, yeah." Jaune replied, sitting up straight. Adam could already tell that he was lying. "Why?"

"It's just that you seem a little..." Ruby frowned, trying to find the proper word or phrase... "Not okay." And failing.

"Guys, I'm fine!" Jaune tried as everyone turned their attention to him. "Seriously, look!" Jaune gave a thumbs-up and faked a smile, and Adam narrowed his eyes.

Suddenly, everyone heard laughter. Cardin and his goons were making fun of Velvet Scarletina, a bunnyaFaunus member of second-year Team CFVY. Blake placed a hand on Adam's shoulder, looking worried as she saw his body tense and his expression turn to one of pure rage.

"Jaune." Pyrrha began, frowning as she actually tried to ignore the scene. "Cardin has been picking on you since the first week of school."

"Cardin Winchester?" Jaune asked, trying to play it off. "He just likes to mess around, you know?! Practical jokes!" Ruby glared at Jaune.

"He's a bully."

"Oh, please." Jaune scoffed lightly. "Name one time he's bullied me."

"The books in the hallway." Weiss announced simply, not even looking up. Yang gave a weak grin.

"The shield in the door."

"The locker." Adam finished bluntly, and everyone cringed. Jaune forced a weak laugh.

"I didn't land far from the school!"

"Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask." Pyrrha insisted, looking worried. Nora let out a small gasp.

"Ooh!" She stood up, excited. "We'll break his legs!" Okay, that was a human to fear. Adam tried not to show how stunned he was, and Sam nudged him lightly.

"Watch out for the pink ones, big guy." The S in AJCS warned, giving a light smirk. Adam shot a light glare at him, annoyed.

"Guys, really." Jaune stood, taking his tray with him. "It's fine. Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me. He's a jerk to everyone."

"Ow, that hurts!" A voice cried out. The twelve's attention turned back to Velvet as Cardin pulled on one of her bunny ears. "Please, stop."

"I told you it was real!"

"What a freak!" Rage built up inside of Adam, but someone else acted before he did. Sam stood up on the bemch, glaring over at Cardin.

"Hey, jackass!" Sam shouted, throwing an apple. "Leave her alone!" Cardin turned around after the apple hit his head, glaring up at Sam as his teammates got ready to brawl. "Watch it, boys! You do realize who that lovely lady's super-awesome teammates are, don't you?!"

Cardin went to retort, then someone tapped his shoulder and he turned to see the rest of Team CFVY glaring at him. The leader, Coco Adel, lowered her sunglasses and frowned at the boy.

"First year?" The girl asked simply, and Cardin nodded. "Then, I'll let you off with a warning." Eeveryone cringed as Cardin was kicked where no man should be kicked, and he fell to his knees. "I suggest that you never come near my teammate ever again... Come on, Vel." As the second-year team walked past, Velvet looked at Sam, tears in her eyes but a small smile on her face as she nodded at him.

"Thank you."

"Any time." Sam smiled, looking back at him meal and giving a small, satisfied smile. Adam gazed at the boy, unable to believe what she had just witnessed.

"Atrocious." Pyrrha looked livid, now. "I can't stand people like him."

"Then, why didn't you stop him?" A voice asked quietly. Everyone looked over to see Jenna picking at a sandwich on her plate, and she looked up at Pyrrha with a raised eyebrow. "Well?"

Jenna had been quiet, almost-obsessively academically-focused, and a bit moody ever since the second day of school, and she'd only been getting worse. She hadn't really interacted with the other eleven in the "group" any more than she had to, so everyone was surprised by her speaking up.

"I..." Pyrrha blinked, her eyes widening slightly. "I didn't want to make things worse-"

"Figures." Jenna stood up, her food unfinished. "You can preach all you want about wanting the violence and hate to stop, for the cruelty to be called out and shamed - but the only way to get results is to act."

"That sounds like a White Fang philosophy." Weiss commented, her eyes narrowing. "What, then? Do you support the violent actions of your fellow Faunus?"

"No." Jenna replied, looking over at Weiss. "They've hurt innocent people, which is something I could never support. They need to be brought to justice, just as people like Cardin need to be brought to justice."

"So... Your philosophy is that every crime deserves due punishment?" Ren asked, seeming to understand. To this, Jenna nodded.

"Yes. If you commit a crime, you should be condemned and brought to justice through a due punishment - nothing too lax or too extreme, just what is due. If you have done nothing wrong, then you should be left alone and treated with respect." Her eyes fell on Pyrrha. "If you have stood aside and done nothing right, then you should be called out for doing so." Pyrrha looked down, and Jenna's eyes went to Sam. "If you have stepped forward and done what is right, then you should be rewarded."

"... Hmm." Weiss gazed up at Jenna. "But what are your definitions of right and wrong?"

"Harming an innocent person is always wrong." Jenna replied, looking back at her. "Stealing out of greed is also wrong. But if someone you love is dying and you must steal to save their life, you are not in the wrong for doing so. Killing a person who intends to kill you and your loved ones before help can arrive and provide another solution is also not wrong, as you were left absolutely no other choice. That is right and wrong."

"You seem to have strong feelings about this." Blake looked up at her. Jenna blinked, then she looked away.

"I personally believe that everyone should. Karma, and what not." She announced quietly, frowning slightly. "... Maybe then, this world would be a better place." With that, she turned and walked away.

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

A few days later, Adam was in class with some of the other students, namely his team, Team RWBY, Team CRDL, Team JNPR, and Velvet.

"Yes, yes..." The teacher, Doctor Oobleck, began while zipping around the classroom. "Prior to the _Faunus Rights Revolution_ , more popularly known as the _Faunus War,_ humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing the Faunus population in Menagerie."

"Hm." Blake let out a small hum, her eyes narrowing slightly. Adam cast a glance at her, frowning, then looked back at Oobleck.

"Now, while this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events. Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day! Now, have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?"

"Huh." Adam was surprised by the blunt question, and he could tell that many others were as well. But then, one by one, many of the Faunus - including Velvet - raised their hands. Deciding to agree with his breatheren, Adam lifted his lower-arm from his desk, and Blake looked at him, giving a small nod. Out of the corner of his eye, Adam saw Jenna grip the table, but she didn't raise her hand.

"Dreadful, simply dreadful!" Oobleck announced, seeming displeased. "Remember students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence. I mean, I mean... I mean, just look what happened to the White Fang!"

' _Wow._ ' Adam couldn't help but be impressed. ' _Not only is he aware of everything that's led to all the shit happening these days, but he doesn't mind showing it. I kinda wish that all teachers were like this guy._ '

"Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year of the war?" Oobleck asked, getting back on topic. Weiss immediately raised her hand. "Yes?"

"The Battle at Fort Castle!"

"Precisely!" Oobleck grinned, nodding. "And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General LeGume's forces?" Jaune yelped as something hit the back of his head, likely thrown by Cardin - who say behind him.

"Hey!"

"Mr. Arc!" Oobleck sped over. "Finally contributing to class! This is excellent, excellent! What is the answer?!" Jaune was completely lost. Adam, instead of sympathizing with his acquaintance, simply scoffed. Seriously, even a kid as dumb as Arc should have known that it was _night vision_.

"Uh... The answer... The advantage of the Faunus... Had over that guy's stuff..." He noticed Pyrrha making motions. "Uh, binoculars?!" Pyrrha face-palmed as everyone (outside of Adam, Blake, Pyrrha, Jenna, and Weiss) laughed.

"Vey funny, Mr. Arc." Oobleck shook his head, disappointed. "... Cardin, perhaps you would like to share your thoughts on the subject."

"Well..." Cardin smirked lightly, looking around. "I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier." Adam almost stood up, but Blake and Jenna held him down. They held him in his seat, and Adam growled, his hair and eyes briefly lighting up before he managed to calm himself down.

"You're not the most open-minded of individuals..." Pyrrha glared over at the boy. "Are you, Cardin?" Jenna looked up at Pyrrha, surprised, then gave a small grin.

"What?" Cardin asked, looking over at her. "You got a problem?"

"... No." Pyreha replied, and Jenna's smile fell. "I have the answer. It's _night-vision_. Many Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark." Cardin groaned, rolling his eyes.

"General LeGume was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep." Blake continued, smirking slightly. "His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured. Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't be remembered as such a failure." Cardin got up, looking livid.

"Mr. Winchester..." Oobleck sighed, annoyed. "Please, take your seat." Jaune snickered lightly, and Oobleck noticed. "You and Mr. Arc can see me after class for additional readings. Now, moving on..."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

After class ended, Adam pulled Jenna aside.

"Why aren't you telling anyone that you're being picked on because you're a Faunus?" He asked, his eyes narrowing. "You're not properly standing up for yourself, and whatever's up with you right now will only continue if you don't get help." His new partner crossed her arms.

"Adam, it's fine-"

"They're only getting worse!" Adam growled, glaring down at her. "Jenna, I'm not standing by while another Faunus - my partner - is getting all this shit!"

"Adam, just let it go!" Jenna snapped, then her eyes widened as her skin paled, and she took a step back. "... Please." That was the first time Adam had ever heard her snap like that. It was kind of impressive, but also kind of concerning. How much pent-up anger was she holding back? The wolf-Faunus looked down, embarrassed. "It's fine, Adam... I'm okay."

"... I don't believe you." Adam announced, turning away. "And until you tell me the truth, I won't be able to trust you."

"I know." She replied quietly, and he looked back at her. Her head was bowed, her expression filled with shame. "But... There are just some things that I have to handle on my own. It's for the best."

"... If you say so."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Jenna walked down a hallway alone, holding her books to her chest, then she let out a soft gasp as someone stepped around the corner and faced her, crossing his arms.

"Well, doggie?" Cardin asked, walking over to her. "Do you have my Dust-shop homework done?" The girl nodded shakily, drawing a paper from amongst her books and holding it out. "... Did you dumb it down this time, to make it believable?"

"Y-yes." Jenna replied, nodding shakily as he took the paper. "And I used the notes you gave me to copy your h-" Jenna winced as Cardin reached up and grabbed one of her wolf-ears, holding her in place as he looked over the paper. "H-handwriting."

"... This looks pretty good." Cardin raised an eyebrow, surprised. "It's got about as much detail as ol' Schnee's, but it's dumbed-down enough to make it look like something I could have come up with." Cardin looked over at her. "Nice work, doggie." Jenna blinked, surprised. "Just tell me this: how the Hell did you get so good with all this science shit?"

"M-my father." Jenna replied, avoiding eye-contact. "He was a scientist, and he taught me everything he could."

"Hm." Cardin released her ear and took a step back. "Well... You kept up your end of the bargain, doggie. No trouble, tonight." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Just make sure that that partner of yours doesn't get any funny ideas. Got it?"

"O-of course." Jenna nodded, and Cardin nodded back. The boy turned and left, leaving Jenna alone, and she bowed her head. "O-oh, gods..."

* * *

Jenna sat at a computer in the library, typing up a lab-report for Dust-Shop, and she sighed softly, giving a small smile. That smile slowly fell into a frown, and she opened a new tab, starting a new document under the name of _Cardin Winchester_ , copying a template over from the first document, and beginning to work on it.

' _The purpose was to..._ '

* * *

Jenna knocked on a door, and Cardin opened it, raising an eyebrow. Jenna looked up at him, a bit timid, then held a paper out, frowning slightly.

"I... I finished the lab-report early."

"At'a girl." Cardin smirked, taking the paper and patting her twice on the head. "Keep this up, and your pal won't have anything to worry about - as long as you and that girl from Team RWBY keep him in line."

"Understood." Jenna nodded, gripping the books in her arms tighter. "Do... Do you have any new assignments?"

"Nah."

"B-but, I thought Oobleck-"

"I've got them." Cardin waved it off, and Jenna blinked, surprised. "Take the night off, _doggie_. You must be tired, since you've been my bitch for the last month." Jenna bowed her head as Cardin laughed, his teammates joining in from within his room.

"I... I guess I am tired." She agreed quietly, then she looked up at him. "Thank you. A-and let me know if you need me to do any more work."

"Off you go, to your crate!" Cardin jeered as she turned and walked away, her ears flicking back as she heard Team CRDL continuing to laugh. As soon as she was out of their sight, Jenna started running, closing her eyes as tears streamed down her face, the girl half-tempted to just cast her books aside and run away.

' _It's not fair._ ' She thought to herself as she ran down a hallway. ' _I'm stronger, I'm smarter, and I'm braver than this! Why do I let him treat me like a pet?!_ '

...

 ** _"Wolf-Faunus have always been regarded with honor, as they are great amongst Faunus kind. Strong, fast, and intelligent - they stood tall above both predator and prey. But the wolf-Faunus have always had one weakness, sweetheart. One that, try as they might, they cannot avoid because it is in their very blood... Once a being has become a member of their pack, a wolf-Faunus will do whatever they must to keep them safe, even at the cost of themselves."_**

...

Jenna tripped as she ran through the courtyard, being sent sprawling as her books and notebooks scattered. Slowly, she pushed herself up, her head bowed and her eyes closed.

...

 _Adam between her and Cardin, his hand wrapped around the bully's wrist and his eyes narrowed in rage._

...

Jenna opened her eyes, looking up at the shattered moon and the stars, completely silent as she kneeled on the pavement amongst her books and notes.

"... If you could see me..." She finally spoke softly, her brown eyes on the moon. "Would you be proud of what I have become, Mother?"

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

Days later, after a field trip to the Forest of Forever Fall, Adam Taurus walked down a hallway alone, and he turned a corner to see Team CRDL there. Adam's eyes locked with Cardin's, and they narrowed slightly.

"Just the guy I wanted to see." Adam announced calmly, only to grab Cardin by the collar and slam him into into the wall, glaring venemously. "I'm going to ask this once... What have you been doing to my partner?"

"The Hell are you talking about?!" Cardin demanded as his teammates watched, their eyes wide. Adam's eyes narrowed further.

"For weeks, she's been returning to the dorm late at night - exhausted. Jaune was the same way, and now that the whole school knows that you were pulling his strings, it's obvious that it's the same thing, again. So... I'm not going to ask again. Tell me what you've been doing."

"I haven't done anything to your bitch." Cardin spat, and Adam growled lowly, his hair and eyes starting to glow. "And since you don't have any evidence of anything, if you attack me here, you're the aggressor. And you'll get yourself and your team in trouble, which won't do the doggie any good."

"Stop calling her that!""

"Adam?" A voice asked, and Adam blinked, surprised, as a hand grabbed his wrist. Adam looked down, surprised, to see Pyrrha there, her eyes narrowed slightly. "... We need to talk."

Adam gazed down at Pyrrha for a long moment, seriously considering brushing her off and snapping Cadein's neck, the he sighed and dropped the bully, turning to her as he recovered on the ground.

"What?"

* * *

Adam crossed his arms, standing on a rooftop and facing Jaune and Pyrrha, his eyebrow raised.

"Well?"

"... We want to help you with Jenna." Jaune admitted, and Adam blinked. "Adam, I've noticed the signs, too. Cardin's got her on a leash, only it's even worse for her. We need to stop him. So... A week ago, Pyrrha and I set up a hidden camera outside of the Team CRDL door."

"Jenna told us to take action, so we did." Pyrrha nodded, her eyes narrowing, and Adam looked over at her. "Jaune and I reviewed the footage tonight, and while most of the encounters simply involved Jenna handing over a paper, there were some that got rough, and we believe that we have enough evidence to bring to Ozpin and get Team CRDL punished."

"Well, I'll be damned." Adam commented, actually managing a light grin. "Not bad." Jaune laughed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously while Pyrrha beamed. "Alright, then. You take the footage to Ozpin, and I'll go and tell Jenna what's going on."

"Alright." Pyrrha agreed, smiling. Adam turned away, then he paused and looked back at her.

"... Good job." The bull-Faunus spoke, and Pyrrha blinked. "I know Jenna'll be impressed." Pyrrha blinked again, then gave a hopeful grin.

"Do you believe that this will make up for before?"

"I'm not sure... But it'll come real close, at the very least."

* * *

As Adam wandered through the halls, searching for his partner, he heard a commotion, followed by a voice crying out in pain. Deciding to investigate, he peered around a corner to see Cardin and his team laughing as none other than Jenna Elurra scrambled to her feet, holding her stomach.

"That partner of yours is getting suspicious, Doggie." Cardin announced, his eyes narrowed. "You know what happens if he or anyone else finds out."

"P-please, stop." Jenna looked up, her eyes tearing up. The boy responded by slapping her across the face, and she winced. As he watched this, Adam felt rage build up inside of him, and he wished that he had his weapons.

"Those damn humans..."

"You know the deal." Cardin announced coldly, grabbing her right ear and twisting, and Jenna jelled. "You don't tell anyone, and I leave your friend alone."

"He's n-not my friend." Jenna looked down, gritting her teeth, then she looked up at him, glaring through her tears. "But leave my my partner alone!" Adam's eyes widened, and Cardin smirked.

"A deal's a deal." He replied, the he punched her in the gut, sending her into the wall. Jenna hit the ground on her side with a soft thud, her eyes closing as she curled up in pain. Her wild brownhair had fallen out of its usual ponytail, and her body quivered slightly in pain. She was barely conscious... Unable to take any more, Adam stepped out into the open, his eyes narrowing in rage as everything red on his body began to glow.

"Cardin!" Adam snarled, and the four humans turned to him. Jenna's eyes weakly fluttered open, and she looked up at him. "What the Hell?!" Cardin's smirk faded into a sneer.

"Oh, it looks like someone couldn't keep their end of the deal, after all." Cardin looked at Sky and Dove, his eyes narrowing. "Keep an eye on the bitch." He looked at Russell. "Let's teach bull-boy some respect."

Russell charged, and Adam did a spinning kick, striking him in the chest and throwing him back down the hallway. Cardin attacked, but Adam punched him in square in the face and sent him flying into a wall. Sky and Dove got up and charged, but Adam delivered a devastating strike to Sky's back before turning around and actually kicking Dove in the throat. Any one of those attacks would have been lethal if they had not possessed aura, but since they did, alll four of them scrambled to their feet and ran off into the school, terrified.

Adam glared after him, his whole body demanding that he give chase, but he had other priorities. The bull-Faunus looked down at his teammate, the glow around him fading, as she shakily tried to stand, then he offered a hand. Jenna looked up at the hand, blinking, then wiped her tears away as she continued trying to use the wall to pull herself up.

"I-I can get up by myself."

"I know." Adam grabbed Jenna's hand and helped her up anyway, holding her wrist to keep her in place as he looked down at her, his eyes narrowed. "What the Hell were you thinking?"

"I..." Jenna blinked, her eyes wide, then she looked down. "I found out that they were going to do something to you, but I couldn't prove it. I-I couldn't let them..."

"What could be so damn bad that you'd-?!"

"They wanted payback for what you did on the cliff, when you threatened Cardin."

"So? As you can see, they're no problem for-"

"They were going to send out some gossip claiming that you were in the White Fang, then jump you and..." Jenna gulped as Adam's eyes burned into hers, then she looked away. "Cut your horns off."

All went silent. Adam's eyes widened as he stared down at the girl, the bases of the two horns on the sides of his head - the symbols of his Faunus heritage - tingled slightly. A Faunus' trait was their most defining feature, and it was also the most sensitive part of their body. If those boys had succeeded, Adam would have been in unimaginable pain - pain enough to make his migraines seem like nothing - for days, and his horns would never have grown back right.

He'd have been left disfigured, ashamed, and bitter - most-likely bitter enough to return to his old, cruel, human-slaying ways. He knew this, but Jenna didn't - she was just trying to protect him. She didn't know even a hundredth of the real stakes, but she'd still made the sacrifice.

"Jenna-"

"So, I did what I had to do to get them off your back. You helped me, and..." The girl gave a small shrug. "I can take a punch."

"... How many times has this happened?" Adam asked quietly. Jenna stayed quiet, and Adam grabbed her arms, quickly growing frustrated. "How many?!" Jenna winced, and Adam blinked before he pulled one of her sleeves up. Old and new bruises covered her arm. Adam blinked, then looked at his new partner's face, slowly reaching up and wiping away some makeup, revealing a dark bruise. "Oh my gods."

"I'm fine, really-"

"You're not fine!" Adam growled, livid. "You should have told me and let me take care of it!"

"Kind of hard when you find them carrying saws and watching your partner as he walks from the training arena, alone!" The wolf-Faunus snapped, then her ears flicked back and she looked down. Adam blinked, then he remembered that night, thinking he was being watched. "... It was nearly curfew. I was going to see if you were okay."

"... Look..." Adam gave a small sigh, looking away. "Thanks."

"No problem." Jenna shrugged, then winced softly as pain wracked her form. "P-partners look after each other, even if they're not friends."

...

 ** _"By no means does this make us friends. I am only partnering with you because Blake is taken and you're the least annoying person here besides her. Is that clear?"_**

 ** _"Crystal."_**

...

Adam sighed, shaking his head, then he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, the girl placing a hand on his shoulder to steady herself as he pulled her side to his, then he began helping her down the hallway towards the dorm, knowing she'd protest going to the infirmary.

"We might not be _BFFs_..." Adam spoke up, the term foreign but necessary, and Jenna looked up at him. "But, I think this makes us friends, _Science Girl_."

"... Good enough." Jenna chuckled weakly, then straightened herself as they arrived at the dorm. "If anyone asks about this-" Jenna gestured to the bruise Adam had uncovered on her face. "We were sparring, and I lost. Cear?"

"... Crystal."

 _ **:** Will Team CRDL please report to my office? **:**_ Ozpin's voice suddenly spoke over the intercoms, Goodwitch loudly cursing in the background as Pyrrha and Jaune's voices laughed awkwardly. Jenna blinked, surprised, then looked at Adam as he smirked deviously.

"What?"

* * *

 ** _Well... I think that that's about 1000% better than the original._**

 ** _It's not as rushed, we get more character development, and as you can tell if you've read the original of this story - some bits of backstory have been changed. But that's nothing you should worry about..._**

 ** _I only own my OCs! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	5. Home?

Team CRDL sat in Professor Ozpin's office, trying to keep calm as they faced Ozpin himself, the man sitting in his chair while his Deputy-Headmistrees stood behind him, her arms crossed and her green eyes set in a glare.

"Listen well, all four of you..." Ozpin finally spoke, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "You fail to recognize the seriousness of what you've done. If it was another one of the students, that would be one matter - I would still punish you severely, of course - but because it was her in particular-"

"Favoritism, much?" Cardin scoffed, and Ozpin's eyes glinted. He stood up from his desk, and the four boys cringed.

"This is not favoritism. This is... _Precaution_." Ozpin corrected sternly, and they all blinked. "In terms of power, Miss Elurra is in a whole other league than the rest of the students at Beacon - and, due to the extremely high amount of anger she possesses within her, she's been known to have... Outbursts." Ozpin looked down, frowning. "The poor girl has seen things that even seasoned Huntsmen could never imagine. She has every right to her anger, but still..." He looked up at Team CRDL. "She could have brought great harm to all of you, if she had been so inclined to. And the odds are, she was... I'm just trying to figure out why you still have your spines intact."

"So, wait..." Russel raised an eyebrow. "You mean to tell us that Elurra - the girl Cardin's been pushing around for over a month - is really some super-powerful fighter with super out-of-control anger issues? Sir, with all due respect, I don't think you've got that right."

"... Do I look like I'm being anything less than completely truthful and serious, Mr. Thrush?" Ozpin asked, looking up with narrowed eyes, and Russel blinked. "The truth of the matter is that, throughout that month of torment, it is likely that Miss Elurra was spending every single moment holding back a metaphorical _storm_ of anger, one that would have easily swept all of you away if allowed to break free. Now, the reason for her efforts to avoid harming you for this long would be unclear if not for some footage I was able to uncover from several of Beacon Academy's security cameras."

Ozpin gestured to Goodwitch, and she walked over, her emerald-green eyes narrowed as she held up her scroll to display some footage.

...

 _Team CRDL snickered, hiding around a hallway corner with their weapons in their hands and saws at their belts, their eyes on Adam Taurus as he passed_ _. Jenna Elurra suddenly turned around another corner, her eyes widening._

 _"What are you-?!" Before Jenna could finish, Cardin was there, a hand clamped over her mouth and his eyes narrowed. Her eyes narrowed as well, then she growled and bit his hand, the boy yelping and releasing her._

 _"You bitch!" He hissed quietly, looking up at her. He looked back at his team, glaring. "You deal with bull-boy. I've got this_ _." Russel, Sky, and Dove smirked, and Jenna's eyes fell on their weapons and saws, her expression flashing with horror, then she looked away, biting her lower lip. Finally, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and looked up._

 _"Wait, stop!" The girl held a hand out, and Cardin gestured for his team to pause. "I... I'll do homework for you. All of it, if that's what it takes. Just leave him alone."_

 _"Tch." Cardin smirked down at her, raising an eyebrow. "What makes you think that I need you to do my homework?"_

 _"You're failing Oobleck's class, and Peach's." Jenna stated, and Cardin blinked before his eyes narrowed. "You know I'm good in those classes. Leave my partner alone, and I'll bring your grades up."_

 _"... It's gonna take more than that, doggie. Your pal made a fool out of me."_

 _"I..." Jenna looked down, frowning, then looked back at Cardin. "He was trying to protect me. What happened was my fault, not his... If you need someone to use as your punching bag, use me."_

 _"What makes you think I'd hit a girl?"_

 _"Oh, so you're sexist too, now?" Jenna asked, raising an eyebrow, and Cardin's eyes widened as his teammates actually gave him looks that said **not cool**. "You weren't the day you threw those rocks at me."_

 _"Grr." Cardin looked back at Jenna, glaring venemously. "Fine. You've got yourself a deal, doggie. All of my homework, and I get to do this-!" The boy lashed out and punched her in the stomach, the girl gritting her teeth to keep silent as she fell to her knees, gripping her stomach as her icy-blue aura rippled and seemed to shatter. "Whenever I want... Got it?"_

 _"... G-got it." Jenna replied quietly, and Team CRDL laughed as they walked off. Once they were gone, Jenna's hair slowly bristled as her ears flicked back, and she looked up, baring fanged teeth and growling lowly. Jenna stood without effort, scoffing and brushing herself off as her aura actually reengaged. She rolled her shoulders back, then looked off in the direction that Team CRDL had gone in with a raised eyebrow. "Tch. Those idiots seriously bought that? Worst performance of my career."_

...

"... _Performance_?" Cardin asked as Goodwitch lowered the scroll. To this, she gave a small nod.

"Evidently, every time you gave her a beating, she would disengage her aura after a hit or two to take the attacks before reengaging it to heal herself, but she put up the act that whatever you did to her fazed her in the slightest. We believe that this was a ploy to make you focus all of your attention on her and not the other Faunus of this school, including her partner-"

"And, she was using you." Ozpin butted in, and Team CRDL blinked in surprise. "Conditioning. I've seen it all the time. She used you to practice use of the healing aspect of her aura, and to see exactly how much her body could take without aura. It was a brilliant strategy, really."

"So, wait..." Sky's eyes widened. "Elurra was playing us from the very beginning?"

"Yes, and if you look carefully at all of the work she did for you to turn in, she left little messages in the paragraphs. Or, shoul I say, she included your homework in your personally-submitted confessions." Ozpin held up a paper - an essay -, which had the first letter of every line circled. It actually managed to spell out _CRDL, back hallway, noon, Tuesday, Scarletina_. "Doctor Oobleck noticed immediately. It turns out, Miss Elurra is extremely clever, like her father before her. She fooled all four of you into thinking that she was the victim, but in reality-"

"She led us right into a trap." Cardin gaped, stunned. Goodwitch nodded, giving a light smirk.

"Indeed. Now..." She slapped her riding-crop onto her hand, the four boys and even Ozpin cringing slightly. "Let's discuss punishment."

* * *

The elevator door in Ozpin's office opened, a figure in black and turquoise stepping out. Jenna Elurra looked around with a frown, then her eyes fell on Ozpin - in his chair - and Goodwitch - standing behind him. Slowly, her eyebrow raised.

"So... How'd it go?"

"Those four won't be causing you anymore trouble." Ozpin nodded, folding his hands before him. "They have to clean out the men's locker-room and all of the men's bathrooms around the school with nothing more than toothbrushes, soap, and water. They've also been made aware that they will now be under constant watch from several students who have been secretly told to watch them for wrongdoing - none of which is true, but by their terrified expressions, I assume I was convincing."

"Nice."

Now... We need to discuss your recent actions." Ozpin's eyes narrowed slightly. Jenna blinked, then rolled her eyes and sighed, placing a hand on her hip.

"Great."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Jenna returned to the dorm later that night, and as she silently crept through the room, she briefly paused and looked over in a far corner, her eyes falling on a larger, sleeping form. He had fallen asleep with his face turned in a particular direction - towards her bed. She must not have noticed when she snuck out, after they'd all gone to bed. Slowly, Jenna smiled, giving a small laugh as she gazed at him..

"Big lug... Get some good sleep, Adam."

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

A few weeks passed without real incident. Team AJCS attended their classes, and to everyone's relief, Jenna's energy returned as she began spending more time with her team. Sam, who had been struggling in Biology, saw a sudden and sharp rise in grades as Jenna began assisting him with his homework, and - well...

" _SCIENCE GIRL_ , YOU'RE MY HERO..!" Sam shouted, literally jumping into the girl's arms and kissing the top of her head as he clutched a test that he had scored a ninety-four percent on. Jenna blinked, her legs shaking slightly as she held him bridal-style, Dora laughing and Adam smirking.

"Uh..?!"

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Later that night, Team AJCS was walking down the hallway towards their room. Jenna was quietly humming something, giving a small smile, and Adam looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"What's that?" He asked, seeming irked. "Sounds kinda creepy." Jenna blinked, then looked up at him.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just a song that my brother and I made up about our old man when we were kids." She grinned wryly. "It annoyed him, but I'd catch him humming it from time to time while he worked."

"You into music?" Dora asked, interested. Sam laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"That's my Dora! Mention any sort of art, and she just-!" Sam wheezed as Dora suddenly elbowed him in the ribs, then he smirked weakly as she glared. "Marry me?"

"Screw you." Dora scoffed, rolling her eyes. Jenna snickered, then she looked up at Dora.

"Sorry, Dora: no such luck. Ani and I only wrote the one song, and just to be annoying. Dad was always real work-obsessed, and we thought it'd loosen him up, so-" Jenna went silent as they heard arguing coming from Team RWBY's dorm as they walked past, and Jenna, Dora, and Sam slowly came to a stop as Adam did, the bull-Faunus' eyes narrowing.

"This can't be good." Dora commented, growing worried. Adam frowned as he heard the heiress yelling at someone. What was going on?

"You wanna know why I despise the White Fang?!" Weiss' voice demanded, and Adam's fists clenched. No... "It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!"

"Well, maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" Blake's voice snarled. All went quiet.

Adam's teammates looked at him, their eyes wide, and he backed away, his expression filling with alarm. Blake burst from her dorm and ran off, and Adam turned and followed her, losing her as he made it outside. He heard footsteps following him, and a shout.

"Adam!" Sam called, sounding... Concerned. "Dude, stop running!" Adam didn't obey. He just kept running.

* * *

Managing to evade his team, Adam arrived at the locker-rooms and grabbed his weapon, his whole body tense as he blankly gazed into his locker for a moment.

' _Fuck._ ' Adam thought, closing his eyes. ' _I should have known. Blake being placed on a team with a Schnee was just bound to end in a disaster.' He opened his eyes and narrowed him. 'Alright, then. I'll find Blake, and we'll fall back onto one of our other plans. We'll leave, go to another kingdom, and-_ '

"Adam?" A voice asked, and Adam looked back to see Ren and Nora there, looking like they had just finished training. Nora raised an eyebrow, confused. "You okay?"

"... I'm fine." Adam replied, his eyes still narrowed as he turned away. "Don't bother mentioning that you saw me to my team."

"Adam?" Ren asked, growing concerned. "Whatever is troubling you, you can talk to us. If you just allow us to understand whatever is-"

"You can't understand" Adam looked back at him, glaring. "... No human can." With that, Adam ran off into the night.

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

The next afternoon, Team (A)JCS was wandering the streets of Vale, searching. They had tried to convince Team RWBY to come along, but Weiss refused and Ruby and Yang seemed sure that Blake and Adam would return. Team JNPR promised to call and let them know if that was the case.

Team (A)JCS had been searching all day, and they had had no luck in finding their leader. Sam didn't appear to feel any negative emotions towards Adam, but Dora seemed somewhat suspicious. However, she did agree that Adam needed to be found. Jenna was simply worried about him, and worried about what would happen when and if they found her partner.

"Excuse me?" Dora tapped the shoulder of an old man as he watched a pair of workers placing a new window in the front of his shop. The man looked back, smiling, and she gave a small grin. "I'm looking for a friend of mine. He's new to Vale, and I think he might have gotten lost."

"She's good at this." Jemma commented, looking at Sam. Sam chuckled, crossing his arms as he looked at her.

"She should be. She's wanted in three kingdoms." He looked up, sighing discontentedly and shaking his head as Jenna stared at him with wide eyes. "Vacuo, Vacuo, Vacuo..."

"Uh... Wanted for what?"

"Vandalization of property." Sam replied, and Jenna blinked. "She's a graffiti artist. She's had to lie, sneak, or bust her way out of at least sixteen arrests."

"... Damn." Jenna actually seemed to look at Dora with admiration as she thanked the man and walked back over to her teammates. "So?"

"No sign of him." Dora sighed, shaking her head. Jenna blinked, then her eyes narrowed slightly.

"We have to find him." She insisted, then she sighed and took a deep breath. "If I try something, do you guys promise to not laugh?" Sam and Dora looked at her, raising eyebrows. "Look... All people have their own, distinct scents that Faunus - especially a predator-type Faunus like me - can pick up on. I've spent enough time with Adam to know his scent, and since I'm a canine-type, I might be able to-"

"Track him." Dora realized, her eyes wide. "Do you need something of his, or-?"

"I need a stronger trail." Jenna replied, her eyes narrowed. "I need to find a place he's been to in the last six to nine hours. So, let's think... Where would someone like Adam go to clear his head after what happened, last night?"

* * *

Adam stood underneath the docks in Vale, gazing out at the ocean with a frown as the sun set on the horizon. He looked down at Wilt and Blush, frowning, then he looked down at a mask in his hands. Adam sighed and closed his eyes, then looked up with a light glare.

' _Maybe this is for the best._ ' He thought as he raised his mask to his face. ' _The White Fang has chosen to bevoke common criminals - thieves. They have become a disgrace. I can see that, now._ ' He turned and walked off. ' _They need to be... Corrected. And my team would have only been a road-block._ '

* * *

Jenna, Dora, and Sam stood beneath the docks, and Jenna slowly got down on one knee, gazing at a footprint in the sand. Dora looked down at her, frowning.

"Is it..?"

"... It's his." Jenna confirmed, and the two blinked. "It's an hour or so old, so it's still fresh enough to track." Jenna took a deep breath in through her nose. "... Got him." Jenna stood, her ears flicking back. "We need to move."

"Jenna, we're exhausted." Dora protested, and Sam reluctantly nodded. "Maybe we should wait and keep looking for him in the morning."

"Yeah." Sam agreed, frowning at her. "If we find him in the state we're in, what do we do if he's in trouble? We won't be able to help!"

"And what if he is the trouble?" Dora added, glaring. Jenna blinked, then slowly looked away, down at the footprint. A moment passed in silence, then she looked up at them.

"You guys head on back." She smiled lightly. "I'll keep looking. Catch up in the morning, and we'll find Adam together." Sam and Dora blinked, surprised, then Dora frowned.

"Jenna, I'm not comfortable with-"

"It's fine." Jenna turned away, looking off in the direction the footprints led. "No worries... I'm only doing this so I don't lose the scent. That big jerk is going to try an awful lot harder than this to get rid of me, especially after all of that shit he gave me about nit coming to my team about things." She gave a bitter laugh. "What a hypocrite."

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

Sunday morning wasn't as pleasant on the run as it was when you woke up in a bed at Beacon Academy. That was one of the many decisions Adam came to as he sat on top of a large crane in a shipyard, gazing down at the ground below through the slits of his mask.

He'd managed to get together information on where the White Fang was most likely to strike next from a conversation between drunken sailors he'd overheard, and he knew that - soon - a shipment of _Schnee Dust Company_ Dust would be coming in. So, he had resigned himself to wait.

He'd _borrowed_ some clothes (and a duffel bag for his usual clothes) from a local store to help him be less-noticeable. He wore all black - black shoes, black pants, a black shirt, a black jacket with a hood that concealed his hair, and a black scarf that was pulled up over his mouth. His mask covered his eyes.

Adam pulled his scarf down and took a bite from an apple he'd... _Acquired_... As his eyes narrowed slightly, the man falling into his thoughts. He wondered about his teammates and the others from Beacon. Surely, by now, they had alerted Ozpin and the authorities, and they'd be out looking for him and Blake - who he had not found yet. It was only a matter of time before he'd have to deal with the police, and that would be a whole other mess.

He wasn't very famous, yet. The media never really mentioned him, so the world didn't really know his name. But the authorities did, and once they knew that they were dealing with Adam Taurus - all Hell would break loose. So, no matter what, no one could recognize him so that he could deal with the White Fang, find Blake, and get the Hell out of d-

Wait...

What was that scent?

He knew it...

Adam set his apple aside and pulled his scarf up over his mouth and nose, his eyes narrowing as he looked down at the docks... Then, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"What?"

* * *

Jenna wandered around the docks, frowning slightly as she hugged herself. She paused and looked around, her hair waving in a light wind, then she took a deep breath and sniffed.

"The scent ends..." She announced quietly, then she looked around the shipyard. There were men talking in one area, seeming to be waiting for something, and she slowly started walking again, her eyes scanning for any signs. "Come on, Adam. Where the Hell are you?"

"Hey!" A man shouted, and Jenna looked back, frowning as one of the men walked over to her, his eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here, Faunus?" Jenna blinked, surprised, then uncrossed her arms and drew something from her pocket, holding it out. Her Beacon ID card.

"I'm a student at Beacon." She announced, and the man blinked. "My partner, he's been missing since Friday. I've been tracking him-"

"There ain't anyone around here." The man's eyes narrowed again. "I suggest you get outta here, kid. A Faunus in a place where Dust is gonna be shipped in ain't gonna look good." Jenna blinked, then nodded as her ears flicked back.

"Oh. Thank you, sir." She spoke quietly, then she turned and walked away. The man watched her go, then scoffed and turned away.

* * *

Adam stared down at the scene, stunned, then looked away. His eyes were narrowed, then they closed as he sighed quietly, shaking his head.

"Stupid girl..."

* * *

Jenna paused once she was out of the men's sight, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Dust, eh?" She asked quietly, looking back. "... Okay, Adam. I'll play your game."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Adam could see Blake, now. She was hiding on top of an old warehouse, a monkey-tailed boy with his arms full of apples talking to her quietly as they waited, just like him. He should have known...

Two bullheads landed, two more circling overhead, and from the two on the ground, men in the uniforms of the White Fang exited and began getting to work. They were stealing the Dust, under the direction of the infamous Roman Torchwick - a human.

This was going too far.

Adam's eyes narrowed, and he crept down to the ground below in silence, getting ready to strike. However, before he could move, Blake darted over and wrapped her blade around Torchwick's throat.

"Nobody move!" She shouted as the men prepared to fire at her, and Adam cursed. She removed her bow, glaring venemously at the men as they were taken aback. "Brothers of the White Fang, why are you aiding this scum?!"

"Somebody didn't get the memo." Torchwick smirked deviously. Blake looked at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together."

"Tell me what it is, or I'll put an end to your little operation!" Blake snapped, and Torchwick blinked. Then, his smirk returned as one of the circling bullheads flew over them and created a powerful wind.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a _little_ operation!" He corrected, then he fired his cane at the ground and sent Blake flying back, firing twice more to chase her off into the maze of storage-containers. "Here, Kitty-Kitty..."

The monkey-Faunus suddenly threw a banana peel down at the thief before jumping down and kicking him in the face, rolling in the ground before standing up and turning to the thief, livid.

"Leave her alone." He demanded, and Adam blinked before his eyes narrowed again, seeing that the boy was now surrounded by armed White Fang soldiers. Torchwick recovered, looking back at the blonde with a smirk.

"You're not the brightest banana in the bunch, are you kid?" He asked, and the blonde looked around at all of the men as they prepared to attack. He suddenly began fighting back, kicking several down before drawing a bo-staff and beginning to take them down.

Torchwick finally had to step in, and the blonde held him off for a short time before Blake stepped in. They fought the thief together for a time, then Torchwick fired at a hanging crate and separated Blake from the blonde. The monkey-Faunus looked up as Torchwick aimed his cane for his head, but-

"HEY!" A voice shouted, and all looked up as Ruby Rose spun her scythe before driving its tip into the roof of the same warehouse that Blake and her friend had been hiding on. Torchwick smirked, looking up at her.

"Oh! Hello, Red! Isn't it a bit past your bedtime?!" He asked, and when a Ruby was briefly distracted, he raised his cane and prepared to fire at the girl. However, just before he did, a flash of brown, black, and blue darted over and forced his cane to point straight up with a silver spear. The shot fired, and Torchwick looked at the interloper.

"Huh?" He asked, seeming surprised. The girl looked up, her brown eyes narrowed as she let out a low growl, then she and slashed with her spear, sending the thief flying back and to the ground. Torchwick recovered, his eyes widening as Jenna Elurra stood up straight, holding her spear in a challenge as the blonde boy recovered behind her.

"Jenna?!" Blake asked, coming around the edge of the container and looking at the wolf-Faunus in surprise. "What are you doing here?! Were you with Ruby and-?!"

"I'm looking for my partner." Jenna replied, looking over at her briefly. "Found you, instead. But he can't be too far away." Blake stared at Jenna, stunned, then the wolf-Faunus looked back at Torchwick. "Don't move."

"... Boys." Torchwick spoke up as the White Fang men recovered. "We found her." Jenna blinked, surprised. "You heard Fall. She's to be taken alive."

"What?" Jenna asked, seeming confused. "What are you talking about?" Torchwick raised his cane, and Jenna quickly spun her spear to block the shot. The battle began anew, bullheads firing as Sun and Blake tried to deal with the a White Fang, Ruby and her friend - Penny Polendina - joining in as Jenna began trying to deal with Torchwick.

"Rah!" Torchwick swung his cane, Jenna blocking it. She looked up at the thief, her eyes wide.

"The Hell's going on?! Why-?!"

"I'm under orders to take you in." Torchwick announced, and Jenna blinked. "She didn't tell me who you are or why, but hey: I'd rather not get my face melted."

"Fall... Melted..." Jenna spoke the evidence, her eyes narrowed. "Who is she?"

"Your worst nightmare." Torchwick replied, then he backed away and swiped his cane at her feet, sending the girl falling to the ground. Jenna looked up, her eyes wide, as Torchwick aimed his cane at her face. "Nighty-night, mutt."

Jenna collapsed her spear and raised her arms to shield her face, only for someone to dart over and scoop her up bridal-style just before the shot was fired. As the smoke cleared, Jenna blinked, then her body jolted in surprise as her mind processed exactly what had happened.

Someone saved her.

"H-huh?" Jenna looked up, her eyes wide, to see a figure in black holding her. He looked down at her through the slits of a Grimm-mask, and she blinked, stunned. She knew that scent... "Adam."

"The Hell are you doing here?!" He demanded, only to leap aside and dodge another attack, holding his partner to his chest as he looked back at saw Torchwick aiming his cane at them. Slowly, the thief raised an eyebrow.

"What's this? A White Fang mask..." His eyes narrowed. "Okay, kid. You've got one shot to stop playing hero. Play nice, and I won't tell your boss any of this."

"Boss?"

"Banesaw, kid. The old lieutenant. Fall appointed him."

"She doesn't have the authority."

"Oh, great." Roman rolled his eyes. "A loyalist. Your savior ran out on you, kid. Adam Taurus is gone, and you might as well fall back in line with the rest of the mutts. That is, if you want your revolution." Jenna winced as Adam's hold on her tightened. "So, hand over the girl and help us deal with these Hunter brats, and hey - I might be able to convince _Mr. Bad-Guy-From-Every-Horror-Movie_ to get you a promotion."

"Why do you want her?" Adam asked, confused. He didn't see that Jenna's eyes had widened, her skin turning pale as something clicked in her mimd.

"I don't want her." Torchwick shrugged, frowning. "But Fall gave me a description of someone she was looking for - brown hair, brown eyes, wolf-Faunus. Your little girlfriend there fits the bill."

"She's not my girlfriend!"/"I'm not his girlfriend!" Adam and Jenna shouted together, both of them annoyed. Torchwick rolled his eyes, then gestured with his cane.

"Whatever. Just drop the girl, and this doesn't have to get ugly."

"Fall..." Jenna's eyes narrowed, then widened. "Oh no." Adam looked down at her.

"What?"

"Long story. Let's just say that, if this is the person I'm thinking about, I'm really screwed."

"If it's the person I'm thinking about, you're really screwed." Adam agreed, then he looked up at Torchwick. "... I would never hand over one of my own to a human."

"Your funeral, kid." Torchwick announced, shrugging as he smirked and readied to fire. Jenna blinked, then suddenly struggled out of Adam's arms and stood up, her weapon unfolding.

' _Ozpin's gonna kill me._ ' Jenna thought as her world slowed down, the girl coming to stand between Torchwick and Adam, raising her spear out before her. ' _But I have to risk it._ ' The shot went off.

"Jenna?!" Adam asked, his eyes widening behind his mask as his partner seemed to absorb the attack in his place. The smoke cleared up, and there she was, completely unharmed as she scowled at the thief who had attacked her. Torchwick took a slow step back, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"Impossible... That's why-"

"RAH!" Jenna swung her spear and sent Torchwick flying towards the only remaining bullhead on the ground, the thief scrambling inside as it and the only other survivor flew off into the night. The ground was covered in wreckage, bullet-casings, and White Fang men - some alive and some closer to the other end of the spectrum. Jenna lowered her spear, collapsed it, and placed it on her back, and she turned around. "Adam-"

"Stay back." He held his hand ot, his eyes narrowed behind his mask. Jenna blinked, surprised, then frowned as she gazed at him, forlorn.

"... Aren't we supposed to be there for each other, partner?" She asked, and Adam blinked. "You had my back with Cardin twice, and I had your back once... I owe you one, don't I?" She gave a small smile, and she held a hand out. "Come on, Adam. We need to go home."

Adam slowly held a hand out, moving to take hers, then his head turned as he heard sirens in the night. Jenna looked off in the same direction, then looked back at him...

Only to see that he was gone.

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Adam ran through the streets of Vale, his eyes narrowed. He'd seen the scene on the docks - cops everywhere whole Team RW(B)Y took Blake back, Jenna shouting into a scroll. He didn't have long until-

A clinking sound, and he looked down at the pavement before him. Sitting there was a small, silver sphere with a ticking sound coming from it. Adam blinked, then his eyes widened in disbelief as he turned around to see a silver trigger with a purple button, a thumb ready to push down.

"Dora-"

"Sorry." Pandora Caixa spoke, glaring as Sam and Jenna caught up, and she pressed the trigger. Adam barely dodged as an explosion of blue paint went off, splattering on the walls and instantly freezing due to the ice-dust held within. "Damnit!"

Adam scrambled to his feet and kept running as Dora crammed the trigger back into her duffle-bag, drawing a dagger and shifting it into a pistol as she and the other two continued to give chase. Adam took a deep breath, hearing their footsteps draw closer, then he ducked into an alleyway...

Only to find a dead end.

"Damnit!" Adam cursed, then he looked back as his teammates came into the alleyway. Dora stepped forward, her eyes narrowed, and she blew a handful of wind-Dust, sending a powerful gust of wind at Adam that sent his hood falling back and his mask falling to the ground with a soft clatter. He tugged his wind-swept scarf, revealing the rest of his face, then he looked back at his team with a glare.

"Adam, please - talk to us." Jenna pleaded, stepping forward. "You have lived with us for months. You've gained all of our trust, and we're not letting you lose it just yet... You're our leader, and - whether you like it or not - you are our friend, Adam." She sounded like she needed his convincing as much as he needed hers. "So, please - trust us. Tell us what's going on."

"Yeah, man." Sam agreed, nodding. "We're not jumping to any conclusions." Dora crossed her arms, seeming suspicious, then she nodded as well. Adam gazed at the three for a long moment before he sighed, looking away with his eyes falling his Grimm-mask as it laid on the ground.

"... I used to be a member of the White Fang." Adam admitted, and his team didn't react. "One of the higher-ups, actually." That managed to get a reaction. Dora and Sam's eyes widened, while Jenna simply blinked. "I'd grown to hate humans, having seen how they treated the Faunus. I... Lost some people, and it only made me hate humans more. Blake and I were partners."

"That's why you're so close." Sam realized, seeming to pull himself from his surprise. Adam nodded in response.

"She was always treated differently in the White Fang, but I didn't really care about what made her different from the rest of us, so I took her in as my student and taught her how to fight... Then, around a year ago, Blake and I were on a mission. During it, Blake seemed to get more and more against all that we were doing. It was wrong - I was planning to let innocent people die just to send a message to our enemies... After the mission went sour and we had to abort, Blake left the White Fang. I went after her, and when she managed to convince me to try and change my ways for the better, we decided to turn our lives around by becoming a Huntsman and Huntress."

"Wow." Dora's eyes were wide, as were the other two's. "That's big... I see why you hate Weiss, now. And humans..." Adam looked down. "... Well, since story time's already started, I guess we should all get some things off our chests while we're at it." Adam looked up at her. What could she have to hide? "Maybe... Maybe it'll help us all trust each other, a bit more." At that, Adam's eyes widened, and Dora slowly smiled. "Because... I want to trust you. And, you should know that you aren't the only person here with a less-than-clean slate... I'm wanted in three out of four kingdoms for vandalism, but that's just because I haven't made it to Vacuo just yet." She gave a light smirk as Jenna and Adam's eyes widened. "I've snuck out of the dorm a total of twenty-three times since we became a team to go to Vale and give some of its nicer walls a makeover."

"... God of Light, Dora." Jenna chuckled, and Adam slowly grinned. Dora giggled, and Sam raised his hand, beaming.

"Me next, me next!"

"Okay." Adam rolled his eyes. "Let's see what little Sammy has to-"

"I once killed a man with my thumb." Sam stated blankly. Adam and Jenna looked at him with disbelief as Dora face-palmed and shook her head. "Kidding, kidding... I only seriously injured him." Adam and Jenna blinked. "Don't ask how, but I was nine, I only used my thumb, and I ended up in Mistral Juvie for two years." Sam gave a sheepish grin. "I'm hyper because I was kept in solitary confinement, and it was a tiny room. Now that I've got the space, I use it: constantly." Now that she was the last one left, Jenna looked down, then took a deep breath.

"I grew up outside the kingdoms with my mother, my father, and my brother." She began, and everyone looked at her. "My mother was a Huntress, and my father was a... A researcher, and he was training my brother in the ways of science. I was never as good as them, but I did pick some stuff up..." Jenna looked up. "My mother was killed by Grimm, and my father sort of lost himself. Some years later, he and my brother died, and I... Left." Jenna's eyes shifted away. "I was discovered in the Forest of Forever Fall by a Huntsman called _Qrow_ , and Ozpin invited me to come to Beacon... That's why I'm not exactly social. I guess that I'm just tired of losing people, and I'm angry at the world - and all of that time in the Forest of Forever Fall sort of conditioned me." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Fighting and killing was the only way to survive. And sometimes, when I get angry or scared enough, that old mentality comes back to haunt me."

"Damn." Sam cringed lightly. "How have you not killed that Cardin guy?"

"I actually have a lot of self-control. I have to, with what's at stake." Jenna replied, then she looked at Adam. "Adam, you say you're not one of them anymore... So, we believe you." He looked up. "If we didn't, I would personally call Nora to come and break your legs." Adam held back an instinct to widen his eyes at that. "But, we do. So, I suggest that we all try and get used to this whole _trusting_ thing." Jenna gave a small smile as she looked at him. "We're stuck with each other for four years, as long and we don't try to kill each other."

"... We won't last until Tuesday." Dora deadpanned heavily. The other three started laughing, and Adam managed a smile.

' _Dumb kids._ ' He thought to himself, gazing at them as Sam wrapped an arm around Dora's shoulders, the blonde deadpanning as Jenna raised a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh. ' _They're young, stupid, and trusting. Two of them are human, one's quirky and secretive - and they're all idiots. But all the same..._ '

"Come on." Adam turned and started walking away, his teammates noticing. "We have to hurry if we want to be home before curfew." Sam and Dora began following him without much reaction, but Jenna stayed in place for a moment, surprised, before smiling and catching up with her partner. Adam looked down at the short wolf-Faunus as she raised an eyebrow and gave a light smirk.

"... Softy."

"Stalker."

"Edge-Lord."

"Bitch."

"Jerk." Jenna looked forward as Adam rolled his eyes, mildly amused, before seeing Dora and Sam fall into step next to his partner as they exited the alleyway. He gazed at the three for a moment, then he looked forward as well, smiling as he looked up at the moon.

' _They're my idiots._ '

* * *

 ** _Well... I know that that was 1,000,000x better than the original. Why?_**

 ** _GENUINE EFFORT! XD_**

 ** _Boy, this one took a while! Does it show?_**

 ** _Anyway, what's new? CRDL's punishment, more character development for Team AJCS, some little bits and pieces of info that are supposed to clue you in that not is all that it seems with some certain parties - am I forgetting anything?_**

 ** _I might be! This chapter's 6,500 words long! XD_**

 ** _Also, I imagine the notes for "Home" playing in that last scene. I don't know why, but I can imagine that, after something like this, this reforming Adam would have to have established at least some sort of connection with his teammates due to their stubborn loyalty. He's warming up to them, slowly but surely._**

 ** _I only own my OCs. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	6. Toil and Trouble

Adam stood in the Team AJCS room, facing Team RWBY and Team JNPR, his fists clenched at his sides as he gazed at him forlornly. That blonde boy from the docks - Sun Wukong - watched with Sam and Dora from the sidelines. He felt a light nudge to his side, and he looked over to see Jenna looking up at him with crossed arms and an eyebrow raised.

"Well?" She asked, frowning. Adam blinked, then sighed and looked over at the others.

"... I'm sorry, okay?" He asked, annoyed, and Jenna deadpanned. He looked down at her, glaring. "What?! What else do you expect me to say?! Sorry I was a powerful figure in the White Fang who left because he was guilt-tripped by an edgy seventeen year-old girl!" Blake scoffed, looking annoyed. "Sorry I came to Beacon with her because I was worried about her safety - and, I don't know, I figure that this was some sort of phase and she'd end up going back to the White Fang eventually - and ended up getting thrown on a team with two aggravating humans and a Faunus with a martyr-complex!" Dora and Sam blinked while Jenna's hair bristled, her eyes narrowing. "Sorry that I was forced to lead that team, and that my partner ended up getting the shit beat out of her because I let my guard down!" Jenna blinked, her eyes widening slightly as her hair calmed down. "Sorry that I ran off once the edgy teen who started this whole thing decided that she couldn't keep her mouth shut any more because - guess what? - humans don't typically like the White Fang, and shoot first and ask questions later!" Ren and Nora exchanged glances. "Sorry that I eventually realized by watching from the outside that the White Fang's become nothing more than a bunch of common criminals-slash-terrorists that the whole world is fucking terrified of and that I helped to foil a robbery of theirs at one of Ice Queen's family's shipyards - you're welcome, by the way!" Weiss placed her hands on her hips, letting out a loud _hmph!_. "Sorry for running off again when _Science-Girl_ brought up sentimental bullshit thirty seconds before the cops arrived, and sorry for making my stubborn teammates hunt me down and convince me to come back because - guess what? - I figured out that those two particular humans aren't like the monsters I've dealt with all of my life and my partner is a guilt-tripping little shit!" Adam threw his hands up into the air, looking genuinely pissed-off as he looked down at his partner. "I, ex-Major Adam Taurus of the White Fang, am sorry for being an asshole! Are you happy now?!"

"Quite." Jenna replied, a smirk forming on her face. Adam's right eye twitched, then he shouted in surprise as a laughing Sam jumped onto his back, hugging him.

"Love you too, Adam!" Sam grinned, and Adam scowled and went to retort before Dora hugged his side. Adam looked down at her, glaring venemously.

"Why, you-!" Adam blinked as Jenna leapt up, threw her arms around his neck, and hugged him, then he sighed and pay her head twice, closing his eyes. "I hate all of you. Individually."

"No, you don't."

"Well..." Blake looked back at the other amused observers of this scene. "Think he deserves a second chance?"

"I think he's getting his _due punishment_." Pyrrha chuckled as Adam tried to shake his teammates off of him to no effect. "And if he's trying to change his ways, I believe he deserves the chance."

"Yeah, guys." Jaune agreed, smiling as he rested his hands on his hips. "I mean, could we really kick the guy out? He's like a big, quiet, scary, judging older brother..." Jaune slowly raised an eyebrow. "New thought: he and my older sister would get along pretty well."

"Hmm." Ruby raised a hand to her mouth, holding back a giggle. Then, she looked at Adam. "I feel the same! You know, minus the part about having a quiet, judging older sister."

"Uh..." Yang raised an eyebrow. "You didn't take out _big_ or _scary_." Ruby grinned nervously. "Why, you little-!"

"Adam and I still have to break Cardin's legs like we agreed to, so he can stay!" Nora announced, grinning. Everyone looked at Adam, and he deadpanned at the girl.

"Nice going."

"While I don't approve of the violence-" Ren honestly looked like he was trying not to laugh. "I believe that Adam's transformation is genuine. After all... He hasn't snapped Sam's neck, yet."

"Yet." Adam agreed, finally having managed to get Dora and Jenna off and now holding Sam by the back of his shirt. The boy was laughing and waving nervously, then he slowly reached over and tapped Adam on the nose.

"Poke." He said simply, and Jenna covered her mouth to avoid laughing as Dora sighed and shook her head. Adam sighed, shaking his head, then he looked at Dora.

"How the Hell do you put up with this guy?"

"Years of practice."

"Ah, he can stay." Yang waved it off, grinning. "The big guy still owes me a rematch after last time." Adam looked over at her.

"Yang, I almost cut your arm off."

"Meh. I would have been fine."

"Yang, your weapon involves both arms!"

"Meh. Just a flesh wound."

"Yang, that is not _just a flesh wound_! Your arm would have been off!"

"I've had worse."

"No, you haven't!"

"'Tis but a-"

"Enough!" Weiss threw her hands down, showing her annoyance. Adam sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Here comes the veto."

"Yang, you're arguing with a militarily-trained ex-leader of a violent faction!" Weiss glared at Yang. "He could have seriously injured you, you do realize that?!"

"Weiss, I would've been alright." Yang waved it off, then smirked. "Or..."

"Don't-"

"All left!" Yang laughed, placing her hands in her hips as everyone else groaned. Jenna crossed her arms, frowning.

"Yang, losing an arm is a serious deal. My dad lost his, and-"

"Anyway!" Weiss looked back at Adam, her eyes narrowed. "Adam Taurus... I should have remembered it. You tried to kill my little brother." At that, everyone blinked in surprise. Adam didn't react. "He was twelve years-old and out with friends, and you led a group to try and kill him since - well - everyone knows that Father loves him best." Weiss' eyes narrowed. "Three of his hidden, on-site bodyguards died before the authorities could arrive and chase you off. My father has hardly let me or him out of the house since. We lost what little friends and freedom we had in a single order. You ruined our lives, then just waltzed up and asked for a second chance." All was silent as Weiss glared up at Adam, then she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, lightly shaking her head. "... I'm a horrible person if I say 'no', aren't I?"

"... No." Adam replied, and Weiss looked up at him, surprised. "Don't get me wrong, Schnee. I absolutely despise your family, and if it weren't for Blake, you would have been dead the moment I first saw you upon arriving at Beacon... But I know that what I did to your brother, along with everything else I've done against innocent people, was wrong." Adam looked down. "I'm not going to lie to you. There are parts of me still loyal to my old philosophies. But I'm trying to eradicate those parts to the best of my ability, and being here - as much as I hate to admit it - has proven effective. After all-" Adam gestured to Sam, who laughed nervously. "He's still alive, and so are you."

Weiss gazed up at Adam for a long moment, then slowly let her fists fall and clench at her sides as she gazed up at him. More time passed, her eyes examining his resolve for any cracks, then she gave a small sigh as her expression relaxed.

"My name is Weiss Schnee, heiress to the _Schnee Dust Company_." She began, and Adam blinked. "I am seventeen years old, and from the time when I was small, I have been taught to hate and fear the Faunus and told that - as a Schnee - I stand above everyone else in the world." She looked away lightly. "For a while, I completely believed it. But then, through the story of my grandfather and the example set by my sister, I realized that things were far more complicated than that." Weiss looked up at Adam. "I trained for years and went through countless trials in order to gain my father's permission to attend this academy because I told him that I believed having another Huntress in the family would better the family name. I believe that, but... I really just wanted to get away from him and his influence so that I could see the world for what it really was. I wanted change." All eyes slowly widened. "I wanted to become the best. And, as people have told me since I've arrived here, _the best_ could mean several different things." Weiss looked up at Adam. "I want to be a better person, too. My father was not the start of my family's name, and he won't be the end of it. When I take control of that company, I won't make his mistakes. My grandfather's company wasn't meant for this - it wasn't meant to oppress and destroy - and I won't let it continue. I want change... So, Adam Taurus, to spare myself the title of hypocrite, I won't protest to your staying here." Weiss' eyes narrowed slightly as she held a hand out. "Just don't make me regret that choice, alright?"

"... All lef-" Blake elbowed Yang in the stomach before she could finish the pun. Adam gazed at Weiss, surprised, then gave a light smirk and reached out. Everyone tensed, but he actually shook her hand.

"Alright... Just one question." Adam raised an eyebrow as he let his hand fall (discretely wiping it off on his pants). "Why didn't Blake have to pass this sort of trial?"

"She's not as terrifying as you are." Sun offered, and Adam shot a glare at him. "... See what I mean?"

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Adam eventually left to go and train at the arena while Jenna said that she had work to do at the library, leaving Sam and Dora with Team RWBY, Team JNPR, and Sun. Dora finally decided to challenge Weiss, Yang, and Ren to poker, and as they played, Sam played video-games with Ruby, Nora, and Sun. Pyrrha and Blake simply watched, amused.

"So." Yang shifted her cards, smirking lightly as she looked up at Dora. "You and Sam a thing, yet?"

"Tch." Dora looked up at her, smirking. "Me and Sam? Please. Little twerp's the most annoying thing alive."

"How did you two even became friends, if that's what you really think?" Weiss asked, raising an eyebrow. Dora blinked, then looked down.

"Well... That's actually a bit of a long story." Dora admitted, and everyone looked at her. "Sam and I were born in Mistral, and our lives were pretty much polar opposites."

"How so?" Weiss asked, growing curious. Dora slowly looked up again.

"Sam's mother came from a rich and powerful family known for their hand-to-hand combat and chi-blocking prowess, along with cold personalities, and his dad came from a poorer family known for skilled marksmen, mischievous and fun-loving personalities, and flirting." She began quietly. "His mom hated his dad at first, but he loved her right away and was kinda relentless about it, and she finally gave in. Her whole family outside of her older sister cut her off, but they didn't care. But, they had to live in the rougher area of Mistral City, so that's where Sam got allo of his street-smarts. The rest comes from his parents."

"Interesting." Ren seemed pretty intrigued. Dora nodded, then looked down.

"But while Sam was mostly happy growing up, being on the rough side of Mistral exposed him to some pretty messed-up stuff. He saw a lot of what went down in the Mistralian Black Market." Her eyes narrowed as she gazed at her cards. "Especially the Faunus Slave Trade." All went silent at the table, and Blake and Pyrrha were now paying their full attention. The others were still playing video games. "Faunus were either kidnapped and sold all or killed around him, and it really messed with his head... Then, one of his neighbors, a kind old cat-Faunus called _Mrs. Lane_ , who used to babysit him, was killed and he saw it happen. He was six."

"What?" Blake asked, shocked. Dora nodded gravely.

"Yeah. After that, Sam changed. His parents had unlocked his aura to keep him safe, and he ended up using it to hunt Mrs. Lane's killers down, punish them, and make sure that they were waiting for the authorities to arrive." Dora's hands shook slightly. "I remember seeing the report on the news. A mysterious vigilante taking down three fully-grown men. They didn't have aura, but still - I would have never expected someone who was my age being capable of pulling it off." She closed her eyes. "As the years went on, more and more Faunus-attackers wound up in jail due to the vigilante, or they simply fled the kingdom. No one knew it was Sam behind it... Then, when he was nine, he decided to take on something big."

" _Big_?" Pyrrha asked, a little intimidated as she looked over to see Sam laughing in a carefree way while he was playing video games with Ruby. Dora nodded, looking up.

"Yes... He took on the Faunus Slave Trade, all by himself." She replied, and their eyes widened. "He didn't get far, but..." Dora looked down. "He still dreams about what happened."

...

 _A cage door was opened, a young woman in ragged clothes and covered with dirt looking up with wide eyes._

 _"Go!" A voice spoke, a tiny hand pointing. "Now's your chance! Go with the others, and-!"_

 _"Hey, kid!" A voice snarled. A nine year-old boy in old and baggy clothes looked up to see a man in black. "What the Hell are you doing?!"_

 _"Go!" The boy shouted at the woman again, and she scrambled to her feet and ran off with several other people. Now, all of the cages in the warehouse were empty, and the boy - Sam - was alone. But he wasn't afraid as he turned towards the man who had shouted at him. "You're a Faunus-slave trader!_ _They're not animals! They're people!"_

 _"Why, you little-!" The man grabbed for Sam's wrist and caught his hand instead. Sam struggled until the man was barely holding onto his fingers, then his thumb. Focusing and drawing power from the walls behind him, Sam slowly smirked, his eyes glowing blue as he was surrounded by cracklimhrackling electricity._

 _"Big mistake." Sam announced simply, the man's eyes widening, then Sam yelled and channeled the power through his body, the man screaming as he was electrocuted. Sam laughed through the pain he himself felt at the electricity, finding some pleasure in seeing the man suffer, then he pulled away and letting the man fall to the ground, where he convulsed in pain. Sam laughed as he fell to his knees, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "How does it feel, being the hunted?"_

...

Weiss, Yang, Ren, Pyrrha, and Blake stared at Dora as she finished the story.

"He was caught that night, and sent to juvie for several years." Dora looked up at them. "Now... I suppose I should tell my side of the story." Everyone slowly nodded to give her the go-ahead. "Well... I was born into a family with great honor, privilege, and wealth. The Caixas are powerful - niy Schnee powerful, but VERY powerful. We're in Mistral's government, their law enforcement. We had connections to all lawyers, most businesses, and almost everything in the stock-market." Dora looked back at her card. "I grew up with only the best clothes, going to the best schools, learning from the best combat-instructors. I lived in a world of silver and gold, and I was told that I'd always live in a realm of greatness and contentment." Dora looked up, her expression blank. "I hated it."

"What?!" Weiss asked, her eyes widening. Dora looked at her.

"There was no self-expression!" She complained, annoyed, and Blake snickered at Weiss' expression. "Nothing that stood out among the drab, elegant house I lived in! Everything had to be color-coordinated, we couldn't have any _peasant-stuff_ like televisions! It was so boring!" Dora slowly calmed and shrugged, smirking. "So, what's a girl to do? I went out in the night and made my own, colorful world."

"Your graffiti." Ren assumed, raising an eyebrow. Dora nodded in response.

"I did everything I dreamed of, everything I was never allowed to do. I was free, for the first time ever..." Dora slowly deadpanned, and she rolled her eyes. "Then, one night on the streets, I met someone."

...

 _Dora stood in an alleyway, smiling as she worked on something. She was wearing a grey hoodie splattered with multiple paint splotches, paint-covered blue jeans, a purple-t-shirt, and purple sneakers, her blonde hair in messy curls._

 _The painting was a burst of gold and silver coming from a hand, and Dora seemed rather proud of it as she added the finishing touches. Then, she heard something to her left._

 _"What is it?" A voice asked, and Dora spun around to see a boy with messy black hair and green eyes. He wore a black hoodie, black jeans, a navy t-shirt, and black boots, and he looked a little... Rough. The boy leaned against a wall, his arms crossed and eyebrow raised. He looked to be her age, thirteen._

 _"What's it to you?" Dora asked, glaring now. He didn't reply. "... Who are you?"_

 _"Just a fan, **gorgeous**." The boy teased, smirking. Dora scowled, on edge._

 _"Don't call me that."_

 _"It's the truth." The boy shot back flirtatiously. "But, if you don't like it, give me something better to call you."_

 _"... Pandora."_

 _"Well, **Dora**... My name is Sam. Sam Bidaiari." At that name, Dora tensed. She'd heard it, before... The boy walked over, looking at her work. "It's good. Mind explaining it to the artistically-challenged?" Dora, calming down a little, frowned slightly as she gazed at him._

 _"I will when you drop the act."_

 _"Act?"_

 _"The tough-guy act." Dora elaborated, and he looked at her. "I can see that the muscles on your face are used to smiling, and you can't pull off emo to save your life."_

 _"You sure you want me to drop the act, **Doctor** Dora?" The boy asked, raising an eyebrow and seeming... Concerned. Dora crossed her arms._

 _"Positive."_

 _"Alright..." The boy took a deep breath, closing his eyes, then his eyes snapped open and he beamed brightly. "What is it?! What is it?! What is it?! What is it?! Is it a semblance?! Who's it it?! Did you make it up?! You're SOOOO creative!" Dora immediately freaked out._

 _"Put up the act! Put up the act!" She pleaded quickly. Sam instantly resumed the cool-guy act, smirking._

 _"See?"_

 _"God... You're so annoying..." Dora rubbed her aching forehead. "Damn..." Sam laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, and she scowled up at him._

 _"Get used to it, Dora! This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!"_

...

"And then, I kicked him in the balls and ran." Dora abruptly finished the origin story. Her audience blinked, surprised. "... Sam was a little messed-up, after juvie. You can blame the solitary confinement for that... And, you can blame his insanity for our next meeting."

"What?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow. Dora looked at her.

"When I ran off, Sam saw a pin on my backpack. A Sanctum pin... He literally became a Huntsman just because he wanted to see me again."

...

 _Dora walked up the long pathway to Sanctum, sighing and shaking her head. She had trained for years to go there, to have a chance to become a Huntress. But how was she going to do this? How could she prove that she was more than what met the eye? How would she make any fri-?_

 _"DORA!" Someone latched onto her arm. Dora's eyes widened, and she decided that she didn't want to look down. But curiosity won over, and she finally looked down. Black hair, green eyes, that playful smirk..._

 _"Sam?!" Dora asked, stunned. The boy nodded, standing up._

 _"Hi, Dora! How's it going? How've you been? You excited? I'm excited!"_

 _"Where's that tough-guy act when you need it..?"_

 _"Long gone, Dora! Now, I'm being **me**! And  me wants to be your friend!"_

 _"What?!" Dora ignored his error in grammar in favor of freaking out. "No!"_

 _"Yes!" Sam grabbed Dora's hand and raised it into the air. "Sam and Dora! Ultimate dynamic duo! Best friends! Beings of true, unadulterated beauty and skill! This is only the beginning!" Dora wrestled her hand away._

 _"I am NOT being friends with YOU!"_

 _"Too late! We've been seen together! You're stuck with me!"_

 _As Dora stormed off, Sam waving and laughing as he ran to catch up with her, she rolled her eyes and sighed, closing them as she deadpanned heavily. She sensed him arrive by her side, and..._

 _"I hate you."_

 _"I'm stubborn." Sam replied, and Dora looked over at him. He wasn't acting crazy or cool, now. He was just smiling. "I can wait a thousand years for you, Doctor Dora."_

...

Dora finished the story, smiling fondly at the memory as she looked down at her cards. Then, she looked up at Sam as he continued playing his video-games.

"He stayed with me four four years, then followed me to Beacon." She finished, not noticing the stunned gazes of those who had heard her tale. "I guess he's really hellbent on keeping that promise."

"... Priority one." Yang announced quietly, everyone but Dora looking at her. "Get Team Samdora together. ASAP."

As Pyrrha, Blake, and Weiss scolded Yang and Ren inconspicuously switched some of the cards in other people's hands for some from his, Dora gazed at Sam with a light grin.

' _He's an annoying little shit._ ' She thought to herself. ' _But..._ '

...

 _Sam and Dora, age sixteen, looked up at the stars from the roof of the girl's dorm at Sanctum. He'd snuck over, just to be with her._

 _"Hey, Dora?" Sam asked, and Dora looked at him. "You thought I wouldn't know?"_

 _"Huh?" Dora raised an eyebrow, frowning. "What?" Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulders, grinning down at her._

 _"Happy birthday." He told her, and she blinked, her eyes widening. "Now, I know you're gonna be pissed about it, but I did manage to get you something."_

 _"Sam, you know I hate you spending money on me." Dora's eyes narrowed. "I let you buy lunch once, and you didn't eat for three days! Sam, what did you-?" Dora blinked, surprised, as her lips were paused. Sam pulled away, giving a slight laugh as he poked her nose._

 _"Couldn't find anything you didn't already have." He announced, then closed his eyes and winced. "Incoming punch in three... Two... O-" Sam opened his eyes, stunned, as Dora kissed him, then smiled and kissed back, wrapping his arms around her. A few moments passed, then she pulled away and looked up, glaring despite a blush._

 _"Idiot."_

 _"Tsudere."_

 _"I wish I could quit you." Dora deadpanned heavily. Sam just smiled, raising a hand to the side of her face._

 _"No. You don't."_

...

' _... But he's my annoying little shit._ ' Dora thought to herself, smiling as she looked back at her cards. Then, she raised an eyebrow before scowling.

"WHO TOOK MY CARDS?" She saw Ren's eyes widening. "REN, YOU LITTLE-!"

"Hey!" Someone suddenly wrapped his arms around her from behind, Sam laughing as he rested his head on her shoulder. "Easy, warrior goddess! His name is literally _Lie_ , and-" Sam raised an eyebrow. "He is bad at swapping cards for his own benefit." He looked up at Ren. "Damnit, dude - you need help. Luckily for you, I know all about the art of card-swapping."

"Of course you do." Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose, deadpanning. "Why aren't I surprised?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Why aren't you surprised?" He asked, confused. "I mean... Have I been giving off that sort of vibe?" As Weiss tried to cover for knowing so much about Sam all of the sudden, Dora blinked and looked down at her cards. Slowly, she smirked and pushed all of her money to the center of the table.

"All in, bitches."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Later that night, in the library, a girl sat at a computer, frowning slightly as she went through file after file, her eyes scanning page after page of information. There wasn't much to go on. Sightings with a name never given to the public. It was like he lived in the shadows. But, slowly but surely, Jenna Elurra began piecing together every piece of public information that there was on him. And, once that informational wellspring ran dry...

"Ozpin." Jenna held her scroll to her ear, her eyes narrowed. "You have three minutes. Patch me into the locked criminal databases, or I'll hack it myself. Library monitor five." Jenna lowered her scroll and waited, then the screen flashed yellow and Jenna began searching through the files on her screen again.

' _Where are you?_ ' The girl thought to herself, frowning, then she found what she was looking for and clicked. Slowly, her eyes widened in disbelief. ' _Who are you?_ '

...

 _Name: "Major" Adam Taurus_

 _Age: 23 (estimated)_

 _Allegiance: White Fang_

 _Psychological Analysis: psychopathic, sociopathic_

 _Type: terrorist, murderer_

 _Kills: 50+_

 _Strategy: Do not engage. Has been known to destroy the most advanced military technology in seconds, will kill on sight. Hide._

...

Jenna stared at the screen, stunned, then slowly sat back in her chair.

' _But... If this was the case... Why would Ozpin have me anywhere near him?_ ' She wondered to herself, stunned. ' _Or anyone, for that matter. But for what's at risk... What is he thinking?_ ' Jenna closed her eyes. ' _And Adam... Is this who he really is? Or was? How can I trust him?_ '

...

 ** _"By no means does this make us friends. I'm only partnering with you because Blake is taken and you're the least annoying person here besides her."_**

...

 ** _"I want to be strong enough to bring about the change I see in the world."_**

...

 ** _"You are completely insane."_**

...

 _Adam held Cardin Winchester's wrist, his eyes narrowed as he made the bully drop a rock._

...

 ** _"I fucking hate you."_**

...

 ** _"I have a strong dislike for those who look down upon others for circumstances that cannot be changed and should rather be accepted with open arms."_**

...

 ** _"Why aren't you telling anyone that you're being picked on because you're a Faunus? You're not properly standing up for yourself, and whatever's up with you right now will only continue if you don't get help."_**

...

 ** _"I'm not standing by while another Faunus - my partner - is getting all this shit!"_**

...

 ** _"I don't believe you. And until you tell me the truth, I won't be able to trust you."_**

...

 ** _"We might not be BFFs, but I think this makes us friends, Science Girl."_**

...

 ** _"The Hell are you doing here?!"_**

...

 ** _"Come on. We have to head back if we want to be home before curfew."_**

...

 ** _"My partner ended up getting the shit beat out of her because I let my guard down!"_**

...

 ** _"I, ex-Major Adam Taurus of the White Fang, am sorry for being an asshole! Are you happy now?!"_**

...

Jenna sighed, shaking her head before opening her eyes and frowning at the image of Adam that was used for the file. It made him look like a complete monster...

"I must be out of my mind." She spoke quietly, then she deleted her search-history and stood up, grabbing her scroll She turned and left the library, closing her eyes and sighing before making her way through the halls.

* * *

Jenna arrived back in the dorm and blinked, surprised, seeing that Adam's bed was empty. Then, her eyes widened as she looked around in a panic before turning and leaving the room, running off.

"No! Not again!"

* * *

Jenna searched about thirty percent of the grounds before she - exhausted, by then - found his scent and ascended a set of stairs to a small, flattened-out portion of the room and opened the door to see Adam sitting on the ledge, looking up at the sky.

"... Ugh!" Jenna threw her fists down in a very Weiss-like gesture, and he looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. "What the Hell, Adam?!"

"What?"

"You were out of the room past curfew! I've been looking for you for the last hour, thinking that something had happened-!"

"It was you who was out of the room past curfew, partner." Adam corrected, and she blinked. "I searched for about two hours before I had to take a break... Looks like you came to me." Jenna blinked, surprised, then laughed and rubbed the back of her neck, grinning nervously.

"Oops. Guess I took too long at the east library..."

"The east? Isn't the west library where you usually do your research?"

"I couldn't find a book I needed in the west, so I tried the east." The lies came out as easily as ever. Jenna waited a moment, then he seemed to buy it.

"Tch." Adam smirked lightly, looking up at the sky again. "You know, you really are such a troublemaker."

"Are you really in any position to call anyone else a troublemaker?" Jenna asked, crossing her arms as she walked over. Adam scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Plesse. I was commander-in-chief of Vale's sector of the White Fang."

"So... You were _King Troublemaker_." Jenna put it together, and Adam blinked before deadpanning as Jenna laughed and sat down next to him. He looked over at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Must you always be so annoying?"

"Part of my charm." Jenna smirked lightly, then she looked up at the sky. "Whoa." The sky looked amazing. Pitch-black, with hundreds of stars lighting it up as the reforming shattered moon glowed brilliantly above their heads.

"Yeah." Adam nodded in agreement. "Not bad, is it?"

"Hm." Jenna nodded, smiling lightly. "Not bad."

"... You're not going to howl, are you?"

"Ugh! You jerk!" Jenna jabs him in the ribs with her elbow, and he didn't react. "Isn't that sort of thing why you hate humans?"

"What?"

"The stereotyping! Wolf-Faunus howl, eh? Do you hate the color red and run into battle head-f-?" Jenna suddenly blinked, then looked away and looked up at the sky. "You do kinda do that. And the red thing would explain the crankiness."

"Tch." Adam rolled his eyes. "Can't you take a joke?"

"Would you have taken it if a human said it?" Jenna inquired, and he blinked. Then, he sighed and shook his head.

"I'm not sure... You've got a point."

"Hm." Jenna nodded, then she looked up. "That's why my parents didn't really like the White Fang. Mom considered them hypocrites because of things like that, and when Dad saw them tipping towards violence in some areas, he believed that they needed to be stopped. He considered it too late for talk without action, and he had lots of ideas."

"Oh, what then? Did Daddy want to stop the Big Bad Faunus?"

"No. He wanted to help them." Jenna replied, and Adam seemed surprised. "His wife and his children were Faunus, Adam. He didn't want them to live afraid, but he also didn't want them to live being feared." Her expression turned forlorn as he gazed at the moon, frowning. "He used his research to try and find a way to bring peace."

"Tch. A human biologist, trying to bring peace?"

"He wasn't just a biologist. It was his specialty, but he was probably one of the greatest minds on Remnant... And all he ever wanted was justice and peace, no matter what that cost." Jenna gave a small smile. "And, even though I disagree with some of the steps he took... He's always been my hero because of that."

"Is that why you care so much about justice?"

"I guess so." Jenna looked at him, sighing and giving a wry grin. "I'm my dad's daughter. It was inevitable, though."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Jenna looked back at the sky. "... I miss him." Adam blinked, then looked forward, frowning.

"... Yeah." He spoke quietly. Jenna slowly looked back at him.

"What was yours, like?" She asked quietly, and he looked at her. "Your family."

"Tch." Adam looked away again, scowling lightly. "None of your business." Jenna blinked, then nodded and looked away.

"Right. I'm sorry."

"... They and my older brother died when I was eight." Adam spoke up, and Jenna looked at him, her eyes wide. "We lived in Mistral, and my two younger brothers, my little sister, and I were taken and... And put up for sale on the black market." Adam looked down, frowning. "They were sold first, and I never saw them again. But the White Fang raided the warehouse and rescued me and the others there before it was too late... I became loyal to the cause and joined almost immediately. But I must admit, despite the peaceful message they still had at the time, I wanted the violence that eventually came." His eyes narrowed. "I wanted them - the humans - to pay for all they'd done. All of them."

"Adam, I..." Jenna stared at him, stunned, then looked down. "I'm so sorry, Adam."

"I still think of them, sometimes." Adam confessed, and she looked back at them. "My dad, he was a laborer and proud of it. He didn't believe that anyone should be as rich as CEOs, and that the people who were willing to t dig deep and work hard for a living were the ones who deserved to make lives like that. He threw a table and three chairs at the group before they shot him... My mother, she was extremely protective." Adam looked up at Jenna, giving a light smirk despite the forlornness in his eyes. "You messed with her kids, and you got a frying pan to the face. She took down two of the men who came for us with a butcher-knife before they took her down..." Adam looked up at the sky. "My older brother, Mínos, was around eleven, and he had Dad's shotgun in his hands. And he managed to kill a guy before they got him..." Adam's pained smirk fell. "Dustin, Reiner, and Rowan... I wonder if they're even alive."

"... Adam." Jenna placed her hand on his, and he looked back at her. Her eyes had actually teared up. "I..."

"... What happened to yours, then?" Adam asked quietly. Jenna blinked, then she looked down.

"My mother was killed by Grimm, trying to protect us." She replied, looking down. "My father, he... He eventually snapped, and he tried to kill me, but he killed my brother instead when he tried to protect me. Then, he killed himself." Jenna closed her eyes. "My mother was quiet, kind, and she always seemed to understand what you needed and when. She was a great Huntress and a great mother... My brother was smart and strong, and he was too protective. Too protective for his own good." She opened her eyes and looked forward. "My father, before he changed, was... Amazing. He was a great man, and... And he was brilliant, and I trusted him. But he lied to us and used us, and-"

Jenna blinked as Adam placed a hand on her shoulder. She slowly realized that she had been growing angry, her hair bristled and her ears flicked back as she glared across Beacon's grounds.

"Well... Your brother and I wouldn't have gotten along well, so I guess I have to be grateful that he kept you breathing." Adam looked up at the sky. "Ani, is it? You sound like a smartass and a walking cliché of an older and more-successful sibling... But you did good." Jenna blinked, surprised, then gave a small frown as she looked up at the sky, her ears perking up.

"Minos, right?" She asked, and Adam looked at her. "You sound like an awesome guy... Thanks for keeping this big softy safe for me." Adam rolled his eyes and elbowed her in the arm, and she laughed. "Bet that my brother could take yours!"

"Oh, is that so? My brother could lift a cart loaded with Dust."

"My brother could figure out how to ignite that Dust with nothing more than a paper clip."

"That's because your brother was a giant nerd!"

"Hey!" Jenna laughed, and Adam smiled down at her. Then, he looked up at the sky and Jena slowly calmed down at joined him, gazing up at the moon. "... Ah-wooo!"

"Jenna!"

"Sorry, I couldn't resist!"

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

In the days after Blake and Adam's return and Adam's subsequent trial, things slowly returned to normal. Team AJCS, Team RWBY, and Team JNPR spent more time together, and there seemed to be more trust between the twelve.

The worst seemed to be over. Lots of secrets were brought out and shared. Jaune had apparently snuck into a Beacon (which came as no surprise to Adam), Blake and Adam were once in the White Fang, Sam and Dora were criminals - one convicted and one wanted -, Weiss' childhood wasn't the glamorous Schnee life that the others had imagined it to be, and... Things just seemed better overall... Then, as more students from the other schools began arriving at Beacon for the Vytal Festival Tournament, things got a little chaotic.

Team AJCS was sitting at lunch with Team JNPR and Team RWBY (minus Ruby, for some reason), and Dora noticed Nora launching grapes at Yang with a spoon, Yang catching them in her mouth. The artist suddenly felt something hit her forehead, and she looked to see Sam sitting across the table with a spoon in his hand, another grape loaded and a guilty smile on his face.

"You're supposed to catch it!"

"I wish I could quit you." Dora deadpanned heavily. Her partner could only laugh.

"No, you don't!" Sam insisted, and Dora blinked before she smiled and rolled her eyes. Then, she sighed and looked up at him.

"No. I don't."

* * *

Team RWBY and Team JNPR started a food fight for some strange, unknown reason, and a confused Team AJCS watched from the sidelines.

"They are all taking this WAY too seriously." Jenna commented, seeming concerned. Adam nodded, frowning. "Should we, I don't know, intervene?"

"Yeah!" Sam threw a pineapple into the fray, and it hit Yang's hair, becoming tangled. His team slowly looked at him, their eyes wide in alarm, and Sam let out a small shrieking noise. "I'm a dead man..." The members of Team AJCS all knew to duck as Yang looked around for the culprit, her eyes now glowing a brilliant red.

"WHO THREW THIS PINEAPPLE?!" The Blonde Brawler asked, livid. None of the four witnesses revealed their hiding spot, so Yang took out her anger on Team JNPR.

Ruby eventually won the battle by utilizing her semblance to send all the debris flying as she ran towards the enemy, coating Team JNPR in food. Dora noted that Pyrrha appeared to have control over polarity and Ruby had amazing speed. Then, Dora laughed slightly as she noticed two boys at the end of the cafeteria, one glaring as he was covered in grape soda, the other - Sun, wasn't it?- laughing at him. Then, Professor Goodwitch stormed in, looking livid.

"Our idiot friends are going to die." Jenna stated, and Adam nodded solemnly in Agreemeny. Goodwitch used her semblance to set the cafeteria right, then glared at RWBY and JNPR.

"Children, please... Do not play with your food." She ordered sternly, and Jenna snorted with laughter Then, Yang fell from the ceiling and broke a table, all of the witnesses leating out a synced _ooh_. That had to hurt... But Yang, energetic and invincible as ever, just stood up and laughed.

"Dang." Sam stared at the blonde. "Pyrrha isn't the invincible girl. It's like Yang gets stronger with every hit!" Sam suddenly blinked, then looked at his teammates. "... Hey, what are you guys' semblances?" His teammates all blinked, seeming somewhat surprised by the question "I have this thing I can do that's kinda crazy, but..." Sam pointed at an outlet in the wall, and slowly, blue electricity was pulled from it, the lights above flickering as the energy curled around his arm. Adam and Jenna's eyes widened as he looked up at them. "I can't create electricity, but I can - I don't know - control it where it already exists."

"Nora can produce and channel electricity to charge her muscles." Jenna notes, then she blinked. "Oh, gods... You two can never be allowed to te-"

"I can heal." Dora announced, stopping Jenna from even putting the idea of that team-it out into the world. "When people get injured, I can force the cells in their bodies to regenerate faster. I just can't do it to myself, and it takes up a lot of my aura to pull it off."

"I can absorb energy from an opponent's attacks and use it to supercharge my sword, which basically kills them in one hit." Adam explained simply, and everyone looked at him in surprise. "What?" He looked at Jenna, hoping to break the tension. "And you, _Science-Girl_?" Jenna looked down, biting her lower lip.

"I don't know." She admitted, and everyone looked at her. "I just... Haven't found it, yet."

"... That's nothing to be ashamed of." Dora smiled kindly. "Some people don't find their semblances until after they've graduated. It doesn't make you any different from the rest of us."

"Yeah." Jenna frowned slightly, then she looked up at them. "Well, we've got Goodwitch's class next. We better get moving so that we don't piss her off even more."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Team AJCS sat in the stands with Team RWBY and Team JNPR at the combat-class arena, clapping as they watched match after match. Finally, after a long while, Professor Goodwitch looked up.

"Miss Sustrai?" She asked, and one of the visitors from Haven - a girl with darker skin, green hair, and crimson eyes - looked up in surprise. "You're up next." Adam idly turned and looked over at the girl, blinking and raising an eyebrow. Then, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"No."

"Adam?" Jenna asked, looking over at him as Goodwitch and the Haven girl exchanged girls. "What's wrong?" Adam looked over at her, stunned.

"That girl, she-"

"I would like to fight her." The Haven girl spoke, and everyone looked over, surprised, to see Emerald pointing... At Jenna.

"What?" Jenna asked, surprised. Goodwitch seemed somewhat alarmed, and Sam looked over at Dora, his eyes narrowed.

"Jenna hasn't had to fight all year, has she?"

"Miss Sustrai, I... I'm not sure if that is the wisest choice." Goodwitch began, calming herself down. "Miss Elurra is a special case, and-"

"Special case?" Adam frowned, looking over at Jenna as Goodwitch seemed to try and give out a half-assed excuse. "What is she-?"

"I'll fight her." Jenna stood up abruptly. Goodwitch looked over at her, her eyes narrowing. "... Can't back down to Haven on our own turf, can we?" The students let out _ooh_ s, and Goodwitch looked annoyed. "My leg's feeling better, ma'am. I can fight her."

"Her leg was hurt?" Sam asked, seeming as unwilling to buy it as Dora and Adam were. "I don't like this..."

"Yeah." Adam's eyes were now locked onto a grey-haired boy who had been sitting next to the green-haired girl. "This isn't good."

* * *

Jenna walked out into the arena in her armor, turning to face the girl - Emerald Sustrai - who was in her combat-attire upon arrival. It appeared that she'd come to class wanting a fight.

"So." Jenna raised an eyebrow. "You fighting in the tournament?" Emerald smirked, placing a hand on her hip.

"Yeah. You?"

"Damn straight." Jenna replied, Goodwitch looking at her again with wide eyes, her back facing the other students. Emerald regarded the teacher's reaction, then looked at Jenna.

"Your teacher doesn't seem to like that idea."

"Well, I did hurt my leg a while back. She must not have gotten the infirmary's _okay_ to put me back into action, just yet."

"Yeah. Guess that's it." Emerald drew a pair of guns as Jenna drew her spear and let it spring into its full form. "Nice. But, I must admit, I expected a bit more."

"You new know." Jenna gave a wry grin. "I could surprise you."

* * *

Adam had grown extremely tense, and the others around him noticed.

"Adam?" Ruby asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Watch her." Adam growled, gazing at Emerald. "She's bad news." The others exchanged glances, then obeyed. Adam could feel Emerald's partner's eyes on the back of his head.

* * *

Goodwitch gave the go-ahead to begin the fight, and Jenna quickly began dodging bullets fired by Emerald, her brown eyes narrowing as she stopped short and began spinning her spear, the shaft moving fast enough to the point where it could deflect bullets before they reached her.

Seeing that Jenna's defense was stronger than she had expected, Emerald stopped and shifted her guns into a pair of kamas with kusarigama chains attached and spun before sending one flying straight at Jenna's face. She raised the shaft of her spear to block, only for the chain to wrap around the spear.

"Huh?" Jenna blinked, surprised, then she shouted as Emerald pulled and dragged the girl towards her. The wolf-Faunus recovered and gave a sharp tug that relieved the green-haired girl of her weapon before dropping her own weapon, yelling as she threw a punch that Emerald quickly shielded her face from with her forearms.

"Hand-to-hand, eh?" Emerald asked, looking down at Jenna with narrowed eyes - for she was taller. "You sure you're up for that, kid?" Jenna's eyes narrowed in response.

"Tch." She smirked lightly. "Why don't you see for yourself?" Emerald responded by taking a step back before darting to the side before attacking Jenna from the right. The wolf-Faunus responded by bending back to duck below Emerald's punch, placing her hands on the ground and kicking up.

Her body briefly went over Emerald's, Jenna grabbing the green-haired girl's belt as she passed over hers, then Jenna ended up on two feet. Then, the wolf-Faunus yelled and bent her body forward, lifting Emerald over her head and slamming the larger girl to the ground.

Jenna released Emerald and stood up straight, grabbing her weapon and taking a step back as the Haven student recovered. The green-haired girl looked up, her eyes wide as she nodded.

"Not bad."

* * *

Jenna's friends watched from the stands, shocked.

"... AWESOME!" Sam cheered, his worry falling. "WHOO! Go, _Science-Girl_!" The others began enjoying the fight as well, but Adam's eyes were still narrowed as he watched.

' _Something isn't right, about this._ '

* * *

Emerald's partner, Mercury Black, watched the match with a raised eyebrow.

' _She's definitely tough for a little thing._ ' He decided, frowning. ' _But still. Against Cinder, Emerald, Neo, and I together with a Emerald using her semblance to throw her odd - she'd stand no chance._ ' His eyes went to Adam. ' _Bull-Boy's a bit of a wildcard, though. Didn't expect him here, especially with her. What could Ozpin be thinking?_ ' Mercury was thinking seriously, now. ' _He's stronger than Emerald, Neo, and I put together. Could even beat the boss, I'd wager. Emerald's semblance would help with him a little bit, but it doesn't take long for a Faunus - especially one like that - to see through Em's tricks... Cinder's right. To get what we need from this place, we need to either get rid of him or get him back on the right side of things._ ' Mercury's eyes narrowed slightly at that. ' _Both'd be tricky. He's strong, and with the way he's sitting with humans like its nothing, it's gonna be hard to sway him onto the winning team._ ' Slowly, Mercury smirked. ' _But I can remember a time when my old man wanted to get one of his buddies in on a job, but he'd retired and taken the side of pacifist. I'll never forget what he told me... To get a man to start fighting again, you simply have to remind them why they started in the first place._ '

* * *

Jenna raised her spear as Emerald grabbed her weapons. The green-haired girl looked up at Jenna, her crimson eyes narrowed, then darted to the right. Jenna saw a chance and smirked, changing her spear into its lasso-form and swinging it before throwing it, catching Emerald's foot and tugging. However, a Emerald hooked her kama around the rope, wrapping her chain around it and yelling as she pulled, and the energy between the metal links was parted, sending the pieces of Jenna's weapon scattering across the arena.

Jenna gasped and quickly placed the section she still hand on the ground, hitting a button that sent the pieces flying back into position to form a spear. Jenna grabbed her spear and stood up straight, only to yelp and barely catch Emerald's kama with the shaft of her weapon before it looked to nearly strike her face.

* * *

Blake scoffed, seeming irked as she crossed her arms.

"What is she doing?" The cat-Faunus asked, the others nodding. "Trying to break Jenna's weapon, nearly hitting her in the face. It's a practice-match." Adam's eyes narrowed further.

 _'She's testing Jenna's limits._ ' He thought to himself. ' _Emerald wants to know exactly what it takes to beat her... With Mercury and Emerald here, it's a safe bet that Cinder is too. She put them up to this..._ ' Adam suddenly blinked. ' _Is it... To get at me?_ '

* * *

Jenna held the blade on her spear, her eyes narrowing slightly as she was pushed back.

' _Easy._ ' The brunette thought to herself. ' _Keep your cool. Don't do anything stupid._ '

"Hey?" Emerald smirked lightly, looking down at Jenna. She was speaking quietly so as to go unheard. "Tell me something."

"Yeah?"

"Bull-Boy's your partner, right?"

"Yes."

"Anything more than that?"

"We're friends."

"Oh. Because, with how he's watching you, I thought it'd be more than that." Emerald continued, and Jenna blinked before briefly looking up at Adam. "But I should've known better. With your differences in height, he's probably just worried about me breaking his favorite arm-rest."

Jenna's right eye twitched, then she looked back at Emerald, a low growl of rage escaping her. Emerald gave a light smirk at this, then Jenna's eyes narrowed slightly as she lashed out with her left leg, kicking Emerald's legs out from underneath her before darting forward, bringing her knee up and striking Emerald in the back, the girl dropping her weapons and grunting in pain before Jenna swung her spear down and knocked the girl straight to the floor.

The Haven student shouted in surprise as she landed on her back, and Jenna raised her spear before yelling and bringing it straight down. Emerald's whole body froze, her eyes widening as the tip of the spear stopped a mere inch from her throat.

* * *

Jenna's friends watched the final move in disbelief.

"Okay, new rule." Dora blinked, her eyes wide. "Don't say whatever Emerald said just then to Jenna. Ever."

"Yeah..." Adam blinked, surprised. Seeing the look on Emerald's face, she obviously hadn't expected that to happen.

* * *

Mercury's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Interesting."

* * *

All was silent as Jenna and Emerald remained there for a moment. Jenna's hair hid her eyes from view, and Emerald looked somewhat terror-stricken. After that moment passed, Jenna grinned as the buzzer sounded and she stood up straight, spinning her spear ss it collapsed. She held her hand out to Emerald, giving a light laugh as she briefly closed her eyes.

"Sorry about that! Guess I got carried away, there!" She apologized, and Emerald slowly reached up and took her hand. Emerald suddenly blinked, her eyes widening as she felt the power radiating from the girl's body, then she looked up at Jenna. "Um... Is something wrong?"

"N-no." Emerald shook her head, putting up a grin. "Guess I hit my head, a little." Jenna blinked, seeming to grow concerned.

"Oh, man. Need me to help you to the infirmary?"

"No, really. I'm fine." Emerald assured, pulling her hand away. "Good fight."

"Good fight." Jenna nodded, smiling lightly. "We should do it again, sometime."

"Y-yeah..."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Team AJCS left the arena, Sam laughing as he wrapped an arm around Jenna's shoulders.

"Not bad, _Science-Girl_!" He grinned at her. "Since when were you so tough?!" Jenna blinked, then looked down.

"I'm sure it was just an adrenaline rush. I'm not usually-"

"If that's the case, we need to carry adrenaline shots with us from now on." Dora spoke up, smiling. "You were pretty awesome, in there. I thought that Haven girl was gonna pee her pants."

"I-"

"What's wrong?" Adam asked, raising an eyebrow. "Can't take a little praise? Whoever trained you must have been a real stiff."

"It's not that. My teachers were very-"

"Then, what is it?"

"I... I just have a bad feeling about that fight." Jenna admitted, looking at him. "I don't know why, I just... I feel like she was trying to read me or something. She was testing everything, trying to make me do something. It was kinda freaky."

"Oh, was she?" Adam's eyes narrowed. "Well... You beat her, didn't you?" Jenna blinked, then looked down.

"Yeah. I guess I did."

* * *

As Jenna, Dora, Sam, and Adam walked down the hallway, talking about the fight, Emerald walked over to where Mercury was waiting for her, still seeming shaken.

"... So?" Mercury asked, raising an eyebrow. "Was he right?"

"Yeah." Emerald nodded, her eyes wide. "Torckwick's information was sound... Mercury?"

"Yeah?"

"About the fight..."

...

 _Emerald looked up, her eyes wide, as Jenna looked down at her. Her brown eyes were narrowed dangerously, filled with an unbelievable anger and desire to tear something - her - apart, and her lips were curled in a scowl._

...

"Those eyes..." Emerald shuddered lightly, looking at Mercury with a frown. "Nothing _human_ looks at  anything like that."

"... Well." Mercury nodded, his eyes narrowing. "We better go and tell the boss about what we've found out, today. She'll want to know exactly what it is that we're dealing with."

"She already knows." Emerald looked at him, glaring as they started walking. "We just have to confirm it."

"... You think Bull-Boy is going to protect his new little partner just like he's protecting the old one?" Mercury asked, and Emerald blinked. "You saw his face when you asked to fight Wolfie, didn't you? He knows why we're here, after all." Mercury gave a wicked smirk. "He might be thinking we'll do something nasty to her." Then, she looked down.

"He could be... I've been thinking about why he and his partner are at Beacon, and maybe that's it - they heard Cinder's plan, and now they've decided to stop it."

"Tch." Mercury shook his head. "Bull-Boy is tough, but he's not that tough. He can't do anything to us without him and Belladonna getting thrown in the nearest maximum-security prison."

"But he also knows the stakes." Emerald pointed out. "It's possible that he might decide that it's worth it. I mean... We have confirmed that it's her, after all. He might have, too." Mercury paused, then he looked at Emerald.

"It's..? You're absolutely sure?"

"Definitely." Emerald nodded, her eyes narrowing. "What I saw, what I felt... I'm sure. It's her."

* * *

 ** _CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT?! OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOD..!_**

 ** _Sorry, sorry. Couldn't resist. XD_**

 ** _... For those of you who read the original story, am I doing better? I mean, I'm doing a bit more world-building, adding lots of character-development and interactions, and I think it's going okay. Thoughts?_**

 ** _I only own my OCs. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	7. The Wolf-Woman's Secret

Blake seemed... Troubled.

Adam had been noticing this ever since that night after the docks, and it only got worse after Team RWBY failed to catch Torchwick while trying to investigate the happenings in Vale. She was called upon in Goodwitch's class, and Adam thought that she'd had a heart-attack when he saw her exhausted eyes widen.

"Blake." Adam grabbed her shoulder after they'd left the arena - in the wake of a suspicious fight between Pyrrha and Mercury - and she'd rejected Sun's nervous request for her to go to the dance with him, and she looked back at him. "What's going on?"

"What makes you think that something's going on?" Blake asked, looking back at him. Adam raised an eyebrow, and Blake sighed, rolling her eyes. "I'm fine."

"You look like you're about to fall over." Adam glared down at her. "Keep in mind the fact that we were partners for years, Blake. I know when something is wrong."

"... Torchwick and the White Fang aren't done yet, Adam." Blake announced coldly, turning to him. "Something big is coming, and it needs to be stopped. I'm not going to rest until I figure out what they're doing and how to stop them."

"Blake, you can't do this on your own-"

"Do you know what's going on, Adam?" Blake asked simply. There wasn't any real meaning in the question - Blake didn't expect him yo know or have an answer for her -, but it chilled Adam to the bone. However, he was able to maintain a façade of ignorance.

"No... But I know that, even if you did figure out what was happening, you wouldn't be able to stop it." Adam told her, and her golden eyes narrowed. "You're exhausted, and even if you weren't... You're not ready."

"Grr..." Blake punched Adam in the stomach, the man not reacting, then she turned and stormed off. Adam watched her go, then Yang walked past him, patting his shoulder.

"Don't worry." She looked back at him, winking one of her big lilac eyes. "I've got a plan." With that, the blonde kept on walking, leaving Adam alone.

"Well..." Jenna walked up and placed a hand on her hip, looking up at Adam. "That can't be good." Adam looked down at her.

"Are all women as weird as this?"

" _This_?" Jenna asked, then she crossed her arms. "And I honestly don't know that much about women. I was raised by my dad and my brother, remember? I had to teach myself how to do pretty much everything girl-wise."

"That explains a lot."

"Why, you-!" Jenna punched his arm, glaring up at him. "Jerk!"

"You need to come up with some better insults."

"Hm." Jenna looked away in thought, her ears tilting, then she looked up at him, smirking. "Satan." Adam's jaw dropped, and Jenna laughed as she ran over to catch up with Sam and Dora.

"... I hate her." Adam deadpanned heavily. Someone cleared his throat, and Adam looked to see Team SSSN there. Sage and Scarlet were comforting a dejected Sun, and Neptune was looking up at Adam.

"You're Adam, right?" Neptune asked, and Adam raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, man... That didn't look like hate to me."

"What?" Adam asked, his eyes narrowing. Despite Sun actually breaking out of his dejected-mood to try and warn his partner, Neptune smirked and crossed his arms.

"You, my friend, have failed to recognize the subtle art of a tomboy's flirting." Neptune stated, and Adam blinked. "Your little brunette friend's totally into you, and she doesn't even know it. Tragic."

"Neptune, she acts like that towards everyone!" Sun shouted, annoyed, then he looked up at Adam. "Come on, man - tell this idiot that she punches and gives annoying nicknames to everyone. It's the only way to get him off your back."

"... She does it to everyone." Adam replied... Even though he couldn't think of one example. She called Sam _Anime-Boy_ once, but she never did it again. And she was always nudging or hitting him...

"Tomboy's do physical damage to show affection!" Neptune shouted back at Adam as he and his team started walking away. He had a smirk on his face. "Think about it!"

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

On the Friday before the Sunday upon which the school dance would take place, the Team AJCS dorm-room was once again graced by the antics of one Samuel Bidaiari.

"M'lady." Sam bowed down low, Jenna and Adam watching. "I would be most humbled if you would attend the dance with me." Dora raised an eyebrow, seeming irked.

"Okay?"

"YES!" Sam pumped his fist. To this, Jenna laughed and Adam smirked. "Speaking of dance dates..." Sam looked over at Adam, an eyebrow raised. "Adam, bro - that Sun dude totally asked Blake out."

"So?"

"Aren't you two a thing?"

"No." Adam replied simply, and his teammates' eyes widened. "... What?"

"You two are so close." Dora explained somewhat-awkwardly. "I guess we all assumed-"

"It's a mentor-student or brother-sister relationship. We've been friends since we were kids, like I've said before, and I took her under my wing. Blake and I never have been or ever will be (as Nora calls it) _**together** -together_."

"Alright, then." Jenna spoke up, shrugging. "And speaking of Blake..." Jenna's expression became concerned. "She's in bad shape. Has anyone else noticed the bags under her eyes, how tired and agitated she is? What the Hell's going on?"

"I don't know." Adam shook his head, sighing. "Yang told me that she has it handled."

"On a lighter note..." Sam smirked, looking around at his teammates. "Sun's face when Blake turned him down? Priceless."

"Hey." Dora shook her head, frowning. "That's not-"

"I couldn't stop thinking..." Jenna snickered, then looked up. " _Hello, darkness - my old friend!_ " Sam and Jenna laughed, then Dora rolled her eyes and grabbed Jenna's arm.

"Come on." Dora spoke, and Jenna looked up at her. "You're helping me pick out a dress." Jenna blinked, surprised.

"But, I don't know anything about- WHOA!" Jenna shouted as Dora pulled her out of the dorm. Sam laughed, plopping down on his bed and looking up at Adam.

"Poor _Science-Girl_..."

"... Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Do tomboys hit people to show affection?"

"True tomboys? Hell, yeah. It's basic flirting, boss." Sam raised an eyebrow. "Why?" Adam turned away, crossing his arms.

"No reason. Something an idiot said."

"You know who you should talk to about flirting?" Sam asked, and Adam looked back at him. "That Neptune guy! Dude's a master!"

"... Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Fuck you."

"What? Why?"

"Just... Fuck you."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Later that night, after the girls returned, Adam noticed Jenna sitting on her bed and reading a book. After a minute, he sighed and got up, walking over to her.

"You going to that stupid dance?" Adam asked, raising an eyebrow. Jenna blinked and looked up, then scoffed and shook her head.

"What? No. Gross." Jenna looked back at her book. "I don't do dresses, I don't do dancing, and I'm not gonna go out by punch-drugs." Adam's right eye twitched slightly, then he regained his composure.

"... I've been wondering." Adam began to change the subject, and Jenna looked up at him again. "About what happened in Goodwitch's class, before your fight with Emerald... Why-?"

"Jenna, we forgot shoes!" Dora suddenly grabbed Jenna by the collar and pulled her off of her bed, the wolf-Faunus yelping as she dropped her book while she was being dragged to the door. "Come on!"

"D-don't you have any you can use?!"

"I only have my combat-shoes and my school-shoes!"

"Why..?!" Jenna groaned and resigned herself to be pulled away. Once the girls were gone, Adamcrossed her arms, his eyes narrowing. His mind was no longer on the foolish subject of whether or not his partner was developing feelings for him..

His mind was on the secrets that she now appeared to have, and how convenient it was that she would allow any excuse to take her from his questions.

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

It was the next night when Dora got herself ready for the dance. She spun her hair into a side-braid, applied her usual (subtle) makeup, then changed into a purple dress. It was long, near the floor, with a slit going to knee-height on the left side and long sleeves, a silver belt resting on my hips. Silver heeled-shoes were on her feet.

Dora walked out into the main dorm to see Sam holding out his arm, wearing the Beacon-issued formal tux. He was grinning like an idiot - fitting, since he was my idiot - and he seemed even more exited than usual.

"M'lady?" He grested in an overly-formal manner. Dora simply took Sam's arm, rolling her eyes, then she noticed Jenna sitting on her bed in her armor, reading a book.

"You're not going to the dance?" Dora asked, frowning. Jenna looked up and shook her head.

"I'm not one for social events." She replied, then she looked down. "Adam's not going, either. He went to train with the practice simulator, since we're picking our first mission tomorrow."

"Oh." Dora nodded in understanding. "I guess we'll see you later, then."

"Yeah." Jenna looked uo and grinned. Sam and Dora left, leaving her alone as they made their way to the ballroom.

* * *

Jenna sat alone in the dorm, staring at her hands, then looked over at the single picture on her bookshelf.

The photo depicted a smiling man and woman, a human and a Faunus, with a toddler Jenna sitting on the man's shoulders and smiling, a beaming little boy with brown hair and blue eyes standing before the woman, his brown ears flopping as he looked up with a small grin.

...

 ** _"M-Mommy?!"_**

 ** _"Everything's going to be alright, sweetie. I promise."_**

...

 ** _"Dad? What's going on? What are you-?"_**

 ** _"Calm down, sweetheart. This won't hurt a bit."_**

 ** _"O-okay..."_**

 ** _"Dad, I got those files you-... WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! Get away from her!"_**

...

 ** _"Ani!"_**

 ** _"G-go!"_**

 ** _"No! I won't, I can't! Ani, just hold on, I'll-!"_**

 ** _"G-g-AHHHHHH!"_**

 ** _"ANI!"_**

...

The girl sighed, then looked at her shaking hands again. Jenna's scroll buzzed, and she seemed to snap out of a trance, her eyes widening as her wolf-ears perked up. Jenna picked up her scroll and looked at it before frowning and standing up, leaving the room in silence.

* * *

Arriving in the training arena, Jenna saw Adam standing there. _Wilt_ and _Blush_ were in his hand, and his eyes were narrowed.

"We need to talk." The leader of Team AJCS stated, glaring lightly. "You've been hiding something, and since you always find an excuse to avoid talking to me when Dora and Sam are around, I waited until I could be sure that they wouldn't be... What's going on?"

"What?" Jenna asked, blinking in surprise. "Adam, I've told you that I have no parents, that my brother died, that I grew up outside the kingdoms, and you know about the Cardin thing. What else could I possibly have worth hiding?"

"What was going on, in Goodwitch's class?" Adam asked, and Jenna blinked again. "Why didn't she want you to fight? Your leg's just fine." Jenna gazed at him for a moment, then looked away.

"Adam, I... I can't tell you."

"Why not? What happened to that _trusting_ thing you were talking about?"

"Adam, I can't tell you. I can't... Please, don't ask again."

"Jenna, I'm not dropping this." Adam announced, growing angry. Jenna quickly turned away, hugging herself and taking deep breaths as she walked off. Adam marched over and grabbed her shoulder, angry. "Just tell me what's going on!"

"I can't."

"Why not?!"

"Stop yelling at me."

"Why?! Why can't you just tell me what's going on?!"

"Because it... It's too much!"

"What?! What could be so bad?!"

Jenna suddenly turned around and punched Adam in the chest, sending him falling to the ground. He looked up, his eyes wide, as Jenna glared down at him.

" _Bad_. Tch... Try  terrible." She commented, turning away and cracking her knuckles. "My entire life is one long nightmare. But that's how it is, isn't it? Reality... The world is cruel, and there is no such thing as real justice."

"Why are you talking about?"

* * *

As Sam and Dora danced, her hands on his shoulders while his hands were on her waist, Sam grinned down at her in a playfully devious way.

"So, how long before the other two find out?"

"About what?"

"Oh, just the most unlikely couple in existence, m'lady."

"What makes it so unlikely?"

"Well... We're us."

"And?"

"The way we smack-talk each other in front of them."

"True."

"And how we're always complaining about being stuck together."

"Also true." Dora smiled mischievously. Sam and Dora laughed, and the boy planted a kiss on her forehead. "Idiot."

"Moron."

"Jackass."

"Bitch."

"I wish I could quit you."

"No, you don't."

* * *

Jenna looked back at Adam, her expression blank.

"There is no justice." She repeated, and he blinked. "Innocents are killed and their murderers are not punished. Irreplaceable things are taken and can never be returned, and the thief is left smiling."

"Jenna, what are you saying?"

"... Jenna." The girl scoffed, looking away again and crossing her arms. "What a stupid name. Jenna Elurra, it means _Paradise of Snow_ in some translations and _Snow's White Shadow_ in others. That bastard Ozpin, he knew how much I despised snow, but he still made me go by that name."

"Wait... What?"

"My real name isn't _Jenna Elurra_. That was a lie... A lot of what I've told you has been a series of little white lies. It was for your own good, really."

"What?! Why?!"

"I'm following orders."

* * *

Sam and Dora headed back when the dance was over, arriving in their dorm to find both of their teammates AWOL.

"... They probably went sparring." Sam shrugged, and Dora nodded. "Hey, at least we get to hang out."

With that, Sam wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. She placed her hands on his shoulders, then wrapped her arms around his neck as their kiss deepened.

Dora felt her face grow warm, which it never did. Only Sam could make her blush like that. Finally running out of air, the both of them broke apart and smiled brightly.

"I-I think you and I have very different definitions of _hang out_."

* * *

Adam's eyes narrowed as he stood.

"Whose orders?!"

"Ozpin's. His orders to make sure that you weren't a threat to the students, his orders to stay in this school, his orders to go by this name, his orders to hide who I am... He's a fool."

"... Why?"

"... You once made a comment to me, about how I was afraid to stand up to people who discriminated against me because of my species." The girl scoffed, looking at Adam again. "Well... You may know where fear is present, but you fail to see where it is trule comes from. And strength... You don't know what strength is."

"What are you saying?"

"To be quite frank, my anger is far stronger than my fear could ever be. But, my fear is what reminds it to stay in check. And that specific branch of my fear has a particular source... I was scared of showing everyone exactly who and what I was. That's the only reason why I went along with Ozpin's orders." Jenna suddenly gave a crazed laugh, letting her arms drop to her sides before raising them up, lifting her face up to the arena lights as she closed her eyes. "How funny is that?! A Faunus, afraid of what she really is! Must make you wonder what could be THAT bad, to where being a Faunus isn't my biggest issue!"

"Being a Faunus shouldn't be your biggest issue! You should be proud!"

"Oh, yeah?" Jenna turned and looked at him, glaring as her hands fell to her sides and clenched into fists. " _Proud_... I don't see humans having to worry about _Feral_." At that, Adam tensed.

Feral - or rather, going feral - was a condition that Faunus could be afflicted with. It was rare, but if it appeared, it was almost-always in a predator-class Faunus. When a Faunus went feral, their humanity was completely lost and they pretty much became an animal in human skin. The predator-class Faunus would attack, hunt, and kill like a predator would kill prey. To go feral, a Faunus typically would have to be isolated from people for several years, being either kept caged and separated from the captor or lost in the wilderness. It was a horrible fate, and mentioning it was taboo.

"... What are you bringing that up for?"

"Tch." Jenna smirked, walking up to him and looking him in the eyes. "I'm in Ozpin's _Witness Protection Program_ for two reasons. I guess that the only one that should concern you is my real identity, oh partner of mine."

"And that is?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes, I would."

* * *

Sam and Dora, sitting on Sam's bed, broke apart again. Dora blushed, closing her eyes and giggling as Sam lovingly raised a hand to the side of her face. Slowly, Dora sighed and looked up at Sam.

"We should probably go and find them. It's getting late."

"Yeah... Or, we can hope that they stay out all night, and-"

"Sam!"

"Okay, okay!"

* * *

Jenna turned away from Adam again, giving a light chuckle as she shook her head.

"Well... I suppose that I could let you in on the secret. Not like there's any way of going back, now." She crossed her arms, looking up. "I was born in a small village in western Vale called Malbec. My mother's name was Khione, my father's name was Bordeaux, and my older brother's name was Anino." Jenna slowly began walking. "For the first four years of my life, everything was perfect. But then, a wandering Mistralian Huntsman killed off a local, a good guy, and the Grimm came pouring in with the wave of negative emotion... My mother, a Huntress herself, was killed while she was buying time for the rest of our family to escape. I could go into the details of exactly how that affected me, but I don't want to."

"Jenna-"

"My father decided that we needed a change of scenery, so he moved us to Mountain Glenn."

"Mountain Glenn? But, that place fell over fourteen years ago. At your age, you would have been younger than four at the time."

"... I'm older than I look, Adam." Jenna spoke quietly, and Adam blinked in surprise. "I'm twenty-two... And I was eight when the Grimm invaded."

"... What?"

* * *

Sam and Dora walked down a hallway, and they exchanged glances, frowning.

"I'm not hearing anything from the arena." Dora announced, and Sam nodded. "Let's hurry up. If they're gone, we can head back to the room.

* * *

Adam stared at Jenna, absolutely stunned.

"During our first year in Mountain Glenn, my father started a company dedicated to studying Grimm." Jenna continued, closing her eyes again. "He wanted to know what they were, where they came from, how to more-effectively kill them... How to master them."

"What? But, how? That's impossible!"

"My father was always a brilliant scientist in his youth. He left that world for my mother, but now that she was gone, he became... Obsessed." Her eyes opened and narrowed. "He wanted to experiment on those 'beautiful, mindless, instinct-dependent freaks' and enhance them, control them... As my brother and I got older, we came to realize that our father had changed, but by that point: it was too late. He'd begun making strides with the Grimm, and his curiosity got the better of him. He loved the Grimm because of the power they possessed in their mindlessness, ther animalistic tendencies - but he wondered... Could there be something like that in a more human form." Jenna closed her eyes, sighing. "He stayed out every night. We hardly saw him, but we were expected to complete our daily lessons without fail. He wanted geniuses for children, people to carry on his work when he was gone. Anino was a prodigy, but I was always a bit slower. I didn't know why we needed all of that knowledge, and it left a pit in my gut. I knew it was wrong."

"So... What happened?"

"... My father managed to get my brother and I out of Mountain Glenn after it fell, at the cost of his arm and his eye. He made new ones easily, and we moved to an island off of the coast of Vale and helped him rebuild his laboratory. He started working on his research again, on the Grimm... And on Feral." Jenna's eyes opened and narrowed. "Anino started becoming scarce. I didn't know it at the time, but Father was sending him to the mainland to abduct Faunus and bring them back... Father was trying to find a way to induce Feral."

"That's... That's insane!" Adam was horrified. "What the Hell kind of monster was he?!"

"... He wasn't a monster." Jenna announced quietly, frowning as she walked forward. "After he was successful, he did create an antidote for the induced Feral. He didn't want to hurt any innocent people, he wanted to use his Grimm to destroy the others - to bring peace. And he wanted to use his Feral Faunus to show the world that people become what you try to make them into, and that by accepting the part of them that's animal, you can turn them back into men. He was a genius. His heart was in the right place, he was just misunderstood... But, as the years passed, he came to realize that his Grimm and the Feral Faunus saw him as a monster and treated him like one. And, slowly, that was what he became. He became even more obsessed with perfecting his processes. But, one day. Anino returned empty-handed. He was so close to a breakthrough, an incurable Feral formula that he intended to use on the White Fang extremists who refused to see reason and agree to work with man. He just needed one Faunus to test it... So, when I was sixteen years-old, he brought me down to the labs."

* * *

Dora tugged on the doorknob, her eyes narrowing as the door to the locker-rooms rattled but did not open.

"It's locked." She looked up at Sam. "Let's try to get in through the stands." Sam nodded, looking concerned and a little freaked-out.

"Y-yeah!"

* * *

Adam couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"What happened?"

"... My brother realized what my father was planning and tried to stop him. He told me to hide in a rocket-locker, and I obeyed. He and my father argued, and Father actually sent some Grimm after Anino. My brother defeated them, but he was tired... And my father injected him with the serum." Jenna closed her eyes again. "Before he completely turned, he managed to type in some coordinates and send me to the mainland. The last thing I saw before I was blasted all the way to Forever Fall was the last of his humanity slipping away, and a wolf in my brother's form attacking my father." Jenna opened her eyes. "That was my biggest lie to you... I honestly don't know what became of them, that night." Jenna gave a weak laugh. "But all the same. My father was a monster, and my brother became an animal. They were as good as dead, to me."

"... And, after that?" Adam asked, staring at her. Jenna became serious again.

"I was livid. I attacked any Grimm I saw out of spite, and my methods were evidently too noticeable. Ozpin's man - Qrow - found me a few months after I arrived in Forever Fall and brought me to Beacon." Jenna looked back at Adam. "I told Ozpin who my mother was, and that gave him all the information that he needed to know. I told him all I could about my parents and my brother, and the staff trained me in combat and I used the knowledge that had been forced upon me by my father to design my weapon. I was supposed to go on the run, to travel to prevent my detection and capture - an opportunity which I would have used to hunt my father down and make him pay for what he did to my brother and I - but then, you showed up."

"Me?"

"Yes, you." Jenna's eyes narrowed. "The man playing the part of a child." Adam's eyes widened in disbelief. "Evidently, you were not nearly as convincing as I was... Ozpin saw you for what you were, and he told me that I would no longer be leaving the grounds. He wanted to ensure that his students would be safe, and outside of himself and Goodwitch, he considered me the only person within reach who would be capable enough to bring you down if need be. So, I made sure that I was noticed, and I got close enough to get a good look at your character... I told Ozpin you were fine."

"... Why?"

"A: I wanted out of there, ASAP. B... You were a high-ranking White Fang leader. A guy like you wouldn't be here for training or recon, and Blake is fully capable of handling herself. So, by reason, the only logical reason for you being at Beacon was that you wanted to change." Jenna managed a small smile. "And, well... With all the bad changes in my experience, I thought it'd be nice to know I made one good one possible." Adam blinked, and Jenna looked away. "So, I expected Ozpin to pull me, but he didn't. And I ended up being placed on your team against my will despite the danger."

"What danger?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Jenna looked up at Adam. "I said that my bother tried to stop my father. Before my brother got to him, about a teaspoon of the serum was injected into me. I'm, at the very least, part-Feral."

* * *

Dora and Sam ran down the hallway towards the doors to the arena stands, their eyes narrowed. It was all still silent, and they were growing more and more worried by the moment.

"Guys?" A voice asked, and the two paused, turning to see Blake standing there. Behind her were Weiss, Yang, Sun, Neptune, and Team JNPR - all with their weapons drawn even though they were still dressed for the dance. They must have called their lockers. "Have you seen Ruby? She went missing during the dance."

"No, but Jenna and Adam are missing, too." Pandora replied, her eyes narrowed. "We think they're in the arena, but we couldn't get in through the locker-rooms."

"What?" Blake asked, quickly growing concerned. Yang noticed, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Jaune, Pyrrha, Neptune, Weiss, and I will keep looking for Ruby." She decided, and everyone looked at her. "Sun, Blake, Ren, Nora - go to the arena with Sam and Dora. There could be trouble."

* * *

Jenna looked down again as Adam stared at her, stunned.

"Part of my training for those six years was training to control my wolf-side, mostly my temper. I was dangerous, but Ozpin wanted me to have as normal of a life as I could under the circumstances, so he tried to make it so that I could keep my instincts in check. I wasn't completely an animal, so it was somewhat possible." She turned away again, her hands falling to her sides. "I managed to get a good hold on myself, but every once in a while, my instincts would take control and I would lash out. Eventually, I was so paranoid that I began convincing myself that I needed to be afraid in order to avoid anger. I was an idiot, thinking I could keep it up forever... At the end of the day, a person can't change what they are in terms of blood. I can't change what I am - a Feral Faunus, a freak amongst freaks - any more than I can change who I am."

"... Who are you?" Adam asked quietly, his eyes slowly narrowing. Jenna blinked, then bowed her head, closing her eyes as all went completely silent. "Jenna, who are you? With that story, you make it sound like you father was... Was..." Adam's eyes widened in disbelief. "No."

All went silent. Jenna didn't protest, and Adam couldn't speak. The bull-Faunus just stared at her, unable to believe the conclusion he had just come to and the lack of reaction or arguement from his partner. It couldn't be. She couldn't be...

...

 ** _Gnarled and mangled,_**

 ** _Warped, deformed..._**

 ** _They see nightmares,_**

 ** _A mutant swarm..._**

 ** _I see beauty_**

 ** _Underneath..._**

 ** _I see promise_**

 ** _In nature's freak..._**

...

Her father was a scientist. One that worked uh a Mountain Glenn, one that worked with Grimm. He went mad, and committed a series of atrocities in the name of "peace". It was all clicking.

"... Isn't it obvious, now?" Jenna asked quietly, looking up as her pupils dilated slightly. Her fists clenched at her sides, her muscles tensing as she prepared to move. "I'm his daughter, and one of his more-successful creations - if I do say so myself. One of his _lusus naturae_... My name is-"

A gunshot rang out, and the wolf-Faunus barely dodged a Dust-round. She looked up, startled, as Blake lowered her gun, her eyes narrowed as she, Ren, Nora, Sun, Dora, and Sam gazed down at the scene from the stands.

"Stand down, Jenna." Blake ordered, and the brunette took a step back. "Now... I don't want to hurt you." Jenna went to reply, but then her right eye twitched, and Jenna quickly reached up and gripped the sides of her head.

"Rrrrrah... No..."

"Jenna?" Adam asked, expression filling with concern concern. He stepped forward, but Jenna dropped one of her hands from her head and raised it, her body quivering.

"S-stay back..! Ah..!" Jenna placed the hand back on the side of her head, baring gritted teeth as her muscles tensed. "R-run..! All of you..! RUN!" That last cry came out as a snarl, and Adam backed away, his eyes widening.

"Gods..."

"Adam, get out of there!" Blake warned, her eyes widening. "She's a Feral!" Sun looked at Blake, shocked, then looked down into the arena.

"Dude, I'm pretty sure that cows are below wolves on the food-chain! You've gotta run, now!"

"Maybe I can-!"

"Adam, Ferals can't be reasoned with!" Blake snapped, then everyone froze as Jenna looked up, growling. Her pupils had expanded and were now taking up a majority of her eyes to make them look black, a thin ring of brown and a small ring of white on the outside. These were the eyes of an animal. "She's not getting on all fours..?" Jenna slowly reached back and drew her weapon, shifting it into spear mode. "... What?"

"Blake, she's not a full Feral! She's not even a natural Feral!" Adam tried to explain, not noticing Jenna's twitching eyes falling on him. "Her father did this to her! Her father is-!"

"RAH!" Jenna suddenly darted froward, Adam barely dodging a critical hit from her spear. He looked up, his eyes narrowing, as she twirled her spear and held it out in a challenge.

"... Doctor Merlot." Adam finished, glaring. "The man who doomed Mountain Glenn." Jenna's eyes twitched again, then she growled and got ready to attack. "Jenna, don't."

"Adam, she tried to impale you. Jenna isn't that reckless or ruthless." Dora spoke up, and Adam looked at her. "Whatever this strain of Feral is, it doesn't turn people into total animals - you said it yourself. She's hunting you like a wolf hunts prey, but she's still as skilled as she was before!"

"Like an animal who can stand on two legs and fight like a human?" Nora asked, genuinely confused. "That's... Messed-up."

"No kidding!" Adam shouted, blocking a strike from Jenna. "I don't want to hurt her! A little help, here?!"

"On it!" Blake nodded, then she looked over at Sam and Dora. "You have no weapons. Stay here, the rest of us will try to help Adam subdue her."

"O-okay." Sam nodded shakily, his and Pandora's eyes wide, then Blake, Nora, Ren, and Sun leapt into the arena. Jenna noticed, and she smirked before shoving Adam back and spinning her spear-tipped staff, getting ready to fight.

"This is your last chance, Jenna." Blake announced as Jenna was surrounded. "Snap out of this yourself, or we're going to have to do it for you." Jenna didn't move, and Blake's eyes narrowed. "Fine."

...

 ** _A mystery of blood and bone -_**

 ** _Soul-less, origin unknown!_**

 ** _Twisted devil villains lost in time..!_**

...

Blake fired, and Jenna back-flipped, landing in a crouch and looking up before darting to the left and swinging her spear, striking Ren in the stomach with the shaft of the weapon. Ren wince, and that gave Jenna time to spin and strike him again, knocking him to the floor. Ren looked up just in time to get a kick to the face and a speed-shaft to the chest, and he was sent sliding across the floor.

"Ren!" Nora shouted, her eyes widening, then she looked over at Jenna, her eyes narrowing. "That's it! You need a time-out!"

Nora shifted _Magnhild_ into a hammer and yelled, charging and leaping up, getting ready to bring the hammer down on Jenna. Adam was the only one who noticed the glint in her eyes as she smirked.

...

 ** _Mindless, born of bubbling ooze!_**

 ** _Intelligence I will infuse!_**

 ** _A curse upon the world, but now you're mine!_**

...

Jenna raised her spear and blocked _Magnhild_ with the shaft, cracks forming under her feet as she absorbed the impact. Jenna helped under the weight, and Nora blinked in surprise before subsiding, fearing that she'd hurt the smaller female. The brunette took this chance and shifted her body-weight and pushed up, sending Nora up and away from her.

Nora landed on her feet as Sun drew his staff and ran forward, blocking Jenna's spear with his staff. The blonde looked back at Blake and Adam, his grey eyes narrowing.

"Now!" He shouted, and the two readied to move, but Jenna kicked Sun's right leg out and made him stumble before swinging her spear and striking him with the shaft, knocking him to the ground. Sun looked up, his eyes wide, then shouted in surprise and barely rolled out of the way in time to avoid being impaled as Jenna drove her spear-tip into the ground.

...

 ** _I will raise you up, de-_**

 ** _sign the perfect beast!_**

 ** _Elevate the savage,_**

 ** _Use you to bring peace!_**

...

Jenna looked up as Blake and Adam charged, her eyes narrowing, then she leapt back, backflipping and landing in a crouch before pushing off from the ground and lunging.

Blake raised her gun and fired, and Jenna took the hit with her aura before slamming her shoulder into the cat-Faunus' chest and knocking her back. The wolf-Faunus turned around as Adam fired _Wilt_ out of _Blush_ , the girl moving her head aside to avoid the attack and grabbing the sword out of the air, throwing it back at the owner.

Adam moved his head aside, his eyes wide as he avoided the blade, only to look back as Nora yelped, having taken the strike of the blade to her right shoulder, her aura protecting her but shattering as a result.

"No." Adam's eyes widened, then his eyes narrowed as he noticed Ren standing and raising his weapons. "Nora, go to Ren - he can protect you! Sun, Blake, and I will handle this!" Nora looked back, her eyes wide, then her eyes narrowed.

"I'll fall back, but I'm still going to do what I can!"

...

 ** _They don't know,_**

 ** _They don't understand -_**

 ** _There's a goal!_**

 ** _It's my master plan!_**

...

Adam darted over and grabbed his blade as Jenna was distracted while deflecting shots fired by Sun and Blake with her spear. Nora arrived at Ren as he began firing _StormFlower_ , and Nora shifted _Magnhild_ into grenade-launcher form.

"Guys, get ready!" Nora warned, and everyone looked over at her. Jenna's eyes narrowed, as did Nora's. "I'm real sorry about this, but... Time for you to take a little nap, Jenna!" Everyone gig out of the way as Nora fired, and Jenna dodged the first grenade. Nora fired again, and Jenna dodged, darting towards her with her spear ready. Nora's eyes widened, then narrowed again. "Lights out, _Science-Girl_!"

Nora fired when Jenna was just ten feet away, a massive pink explosion going off. All eyes widened, all going silent as everyone stared at the smoke and debris..

...

 ** _These simple minded fools just see my plans abstruse,_**

 ** _I'll give the monster's life a use!_**

...

Slowly, the smoke cleared up a little, and all eyes widened further as they made out a figure standing at the center of it. A hand suddenly lashed out and grabbed Nora by the throat, tossing her aside.

' _Just like that night, with Torchwick..._ ' Adam's eyes narrowed dangerously. ' _Why aren't any explosives harming her?_ '

Ren's eyes widened before narrowing as he yelled, raising both guns and firing, but the figure darted out of the smoke, dodging the shots. Jenna looked up, growling softly, then stabbed forward with her spear.

Ren yelped as his aura shattered, then he fell to the ground. Jenna looked down at him for a moment, then looked back at Sun, Blake, and Adam. A smirk reappeared on her face as she twirled her spear, getting ready.

...

 ** _Awaken my brood,_**

 ** _Today you will rise!_**

 ** _I've given you life,_**

 ** _My lusus naturae -_**

 ** _Open your eyes..!_**

...

Blake looked over at Adam, glaring.

"Adam, we're going to have to hurt her to stop her." She announced, and she saw his muscles tense. "Adam, we can't help her unless we can stop her. It's the only way."

"... Fine." Adam nodded, his eyes narrowing. "She's smart, but not nearly as experienced in combat as we are. She has six years of training, but hardly any field-practice. And with the effects of the Feral, she's more reckless... She can't attack the both of us at once if we strike simultaneously from front and back."

"Uh, and what should I do?" Sun asked, and the two looked at him. Slowly, Adam produced a dark smirk.

"Every trap needs bait."

...

 ** _Created in a netherworld,_**

 ** _Into this realm you were hurled_**

 ** _But scientifically misunderstood..!_**

...

Sun stood at the center of the arena, his eyes wide as Jenna made a partial circle around him, her spear ready. Meanwhile, Adam and Blake were getting into position...

"So, um..." Sun gave a nervous grin as the girl's eyes narrowed further. "You, uh... You must get your like of science from your dad, right? That's cool."

"Tch." The girl scoffed, raising her spear. Sun's body tensed, and he raised his hands, smiling awkwardly.

"Look, um - wolves and monkeys don't live in the same areas! Wolves aren't natural predators to monkeys, so you shouldn't have any inclination to hurt me, right?!"

...

 ** _I will decode and knowledge gain!_**

 ** _Your mysteries I will explain!_**

 ** _I'll lucubrate and change you for the good..!_**

...

Adam and Blake suddenly darted out of the shadows, Jenna noticing and smirking as she tucked her spear under her armpit and spun, striking Adam in the stomach and Blake in the chest simultaneously. This bought enough time for her to duck under their attacks, roll, and end up in her crouch, her weapon in bow-form as she drew the string back, one eye closed as an arrow formed on the string and she took aim.

"Move!" Sun warned, pushing Blake out of the way and taking the arrow to his shoulder. Sun winced as his aura took the hit, and he looked up as Jenna readied another arrow, this time aiming for him. "Uh... Help?!"

"I'VE GOT YOUR BACK!" A voice shouted, and lightning crackled on the ceiling before condensing into a sphere. Sam held his hands up as he balanced himself on the railing, drawing electricity from the walls, and he gazed down at Jenna, glaring.

...

 ** _The fools they've placed in power_**

 ** _Try to halt my dreams!_**

 ** _They will fail to stop me!_**

 ** _Grimm, I will redeem!_**

...

Jenna looked up, her eyes widening as she saw the attack being prepared. Adam looked up as well, his eyes narrowing, then he looked over at Sam.

"Are you trying to kill her?!" He demanded, glaring. Sam looked over at him, his eyes narrowing as well.

"She's trying to kill you guys! If we can't stop her, we've gotta put her down!" Sam looked back at Jenna, frowning as he saw her shifting her bow back into a spear. "I'm really sorry about this, Jenna. But if you in your right mind could speak to me now, I know you'd agree with this."

Sam brought both of his hands down, pointing at Jenna, and the electricity flew at her. All eyes widened, then Jenna growled lowly and threw her spear up, the lightning striking it before it fell back into her hand. Jenna winced, her aura absorbing the residual electricity, the air now tasting coppery in the wake of the massive surge of electrical power.

...

 ** _I'm your god!_**

 ** _I will make you grow!_**

 ** _You're my own_**

 ** _Twisted embryo!_**

...

"How..?" Sam stared at Jenna, looking woozy. "She's gotta be low on aura, now... She's gotta be..."

"Sam, you've gotta try a-!" Dora paused as Sam looked back at her, his nose bleeding. "Sam?!" Sam's aura suddenly shattered and he fell back, Dora catching him. "SAM!" Dora kneeled, her eyes wide as she pulled Sam into her arms. "Sam, come on! Stay with me! Sam!"

"Tch." Jenna simply looked away, her focus returning to the three Faunus who remained. Slowly, she smirked in anticipation. "Hm."

...

 ** _They call me sick, obsessed -_**

 ** _A madman with no proof!_**

 ** _In triumph, I will show the truth..!_**

...

"That's it!" Sun snapped, and he charged, switching his weapon to gun-chucks form and switching them in his hands, firing a rapid series of shots. Jenna blocked all of them except one, which grazed the right side of her face and left a thin cut. Her aura was wearing low, after all... Jenna looked back at Sun, seeming annoyed as the wound began to bleed. "Uh... Sorry?"

"Hmph." Jenna smirked, then she switched her spear into lasso form and threw it, catching the monkey-Faunus around the neck. His grey eyes widened, then he yelped as Jenna spun and sent him flying into a wall, his weapons falling to the ground as he hit the floor with a thud, his aura shattered.

"Sun!" Blake shouted, her eyes widening. Sun weakly looked up at her, then he passed out, and Jenna tugged her weapon, the lasso leaving his throat and collapsing back into a spear as she turned to Blake and Adam.

...

 ** _Awaken my brood,_**

 ** _Today you will rise!_**

 ** _I've given you life,_**

 ** _My lusus naturae -_**

 ** _Open your eyes..!_**

...

Adam's eyes had narrowed dangerously. She was craftier than she had ever let on during their months at Beacon. Perhaps being the daughter of mad genius and the student of the Beacon staff really did have its perks.

"That's enough, Jenna." He spoke, and she raised an eyebrow. "If you stop this now and calm down, we can still talk this out."

"That isn't Jenna!" Blake shouted, looking over at him. "She's not completely a Feral, but she's still animal enough to have lost her connection to the emotional aspect of humanity! She's going to kill us, and she won't care! Adam-!"

Blake suddenly paused, her golden eyes widening, then she looked down and back to see the sharp tip of a silver spear against her spine. She looked up to see Jenna gazing at her with a raised eyebrow, her expression almost-innocent as she tilted her head to the side, her left ear flopping down.

"... Jenna." Adam warned, and she looked at him. "Don't." Jenna blinked, then smirked and wrapped her arm around Blake's neck, holding her in place with her spear's tip still resting against her back. A meat-shield.

...

 ** _When evolution fails,_**

 ** _Science will prevail!_**

 ** _What nature warped,_**

 ** _I will restore!_**

 ** _I will love_**

 ** _What all abhor!_**

...

"Uh... Adam?" Blake asked, her eyes wide. Adam's eyes narrowed once more, and he slowly drew _Wilt_ , glaring.

"Stay perfectly still, Blake." He ordered quietly, and Jenna raised an eyebrow. Then, she yelped like a wounded dog as Adam shot her right leg, her head bowing and her eyes closing as she winced and flicked her ears back.

Blake used this opportunity to break free and run back over to Adam as Jenna sunk to one knee, gripping her wounded leg. The two let their guard down for a moment, thinking the fight was over, then Jenna looked up, growling like a wild animal as her hair bristled.

...

 ** _They call me sick, obsessed -_**

 ** _A madman with no proof!_**

 ** _I'll give the monster's life a use..!_**

...

' _They say an animal is most dangerous when it is wounded, it is backed into a corner, and it has nothing left to lose..._ ' Adam thought as Jenna stood, scowling as she held her spear out. ' _But we_ _can end this, and no one has to die as long as we play it right._ '

"Blake, go to the stands and get ready to shoot." Adam ordered, and Blake looked at him with wide eyes. "I'll keep her busy, then make sure that she holds still."

"Adam-"

"You're the one who wanted me to learn how to preserve life." Adam looked over at her, glaring. "Do it." Blake gazed at him, her eyes wide, then she slowly nodded and ran off.

...

 ** _Awaken my brood,_**

 ** _Today you will rise!_**

 ** _I've given you life,_**

 ** _My lusus naturae -_**

 ** _Open your eyes..!_**

...

Jenna and Adam faced off. Adam gazed at her, his eyes narrowed, then spoke.

"You're a hypocrite." He announced, and her eyes narrowed. "You say that justice should be upheld and served, then you spin around and say that you don't really believe in it. Make up your mind." He gestured to the fallen around the arena. "Is this right, or is it wrong? Or do you not even know, anymore?"

Jenna remained silent, but Adam saw her right eye twitch, briefly shifting back to its human appearance and filling with panic. It was strange to see on an otherwise calm and collected face, but it quickly righted itself.

' _She's... Scared._ ' Adam realized, his eyes widening slightly. ' _She called this her wolf-side. Could the lack of a complete Feral-injection have made the two entities - Jenna and the animal - separate? This isn't a wild Jenna, it's a wolf. And as Jenna's watching now, it was watching all of this time... Can it learn like a human, because it's a part of her?_ '

...

 ** _Open your eyes!_**

...

Jenna suddenly darted forward and swung her spear, Adam quickly blocking it while his eyes narrowed in thought. Just how was he going to pull this off..?

' _That day, with Emerald - she paused. Maybe the only way to get her to hold still long enough for Blake to stop her is to make her think she's won._ ' He thought, and he noticed Blake getting into position in the stands, loading her gun. He looked back at Jenna as she bared her gritted teeth and growled lowly, her ears flicking back. ' _That must be it... It's a risk and a long-shot, but I have to try. I need answers, and I'm not giving up on my partner just yet. After all..._ ' Adam looked over at Blake again. ' _She gave me a second chance when it looked as though I had become a monster._ '

"Okay, Jenna!" Adam pulled away and stepped back, his eyes narrowed as he let himself be completely exposed. "Hit me with your best shot!"

...

 ** _I've given you life,_**

 ** _My lusus naturae!_**

...

Jenna swept out Adam's legs with her spear and knocked him off his feet, the bull-Faunus grunting slightly but not getting up again, simply looking up at his Feral partner with a glare. The young woman proceeded to kick him in the ribs, the strength behind the hit actually knocking his aura down a few percent and making him wheeze, then she kneeled and readied to bring her spear down on him, grinning like a lunatic.

"Hey, wait!" A recovering Sun looked up, his eyes wide. The others were recovering as well, and they looked at the scene with wide eyes. Adam didn't look away from his partner for an instant,

"Jenna!" Adam shouted, and Jenna paused, her eyes narrowed. "This isn't you! You're not a mindless animal!" She raised an eyebrow, her eyes narrowing further. "You're going to wake up from this, so you need to just calm down before you do something that can't be fixed!" Jenna scoffed, then raised her spear over him once more. "Damnit, Jenna! Wake up!"

"Adam!" Blake shouted, her eyes widening as she reached out. Adam's eyes widened as he saw Jenna's muscles tense, then his eyes narrowed as he watched the spear fall.

...

 ** _Open your eyes!_**

...

"SNAP OUT OF IT!" Adam snarled, and Jenna's spear-tip paused an inch above his heart. The girl blinked, surprised, as her bristled hair returned to normal and her ears perked up. She blinked, and her eyes were normal as well.

"... Adam?" She asked, seeming surprised. Then, a Dust-round struck the side of her head, shattering her aura and knocking her out cold, and she fell forward onto Adam's chest. Blake lowered her gun and leapt back down into the arena, her eyes narrowed as Adam looked up at her.

"You could have tried that a while ago." The cat-Faunus noted, and Adam deadpanned as he sat up, an arm wrapped around his unconcious partner. Everyone was standing at this point, and they all looked over as Adam stood as well, holding the passed-out wolf-Faunus in his arms. "... So, what do we do with her?"

"You do nothing, Miss Belladonna." A voice spoke sternly, and everyone turned to see Professor Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch, and General James Ironwood of Atlas standing there. Ozpin stepped forward, his eyes narrowed. "Miss Elurra - or, as you've come to realize, _Miss Merlot_ \- has finally proven herself far too unstable. Therefore, I cannot risk her being in a close-enough vicinity to cause harm to my other students... James?" General Ironwood stepped forward to take Jenna, but Adam held her closer, glaring as he took a step back. "Mr. Taurus, may I remind you that your integrity being called into question was the very reason why Miss Merlot was sent into the field."

"Here's my integrity, you bastard." Adam announced, scowling. "I'm not letting you throw her into some cage. That's not going to help her."

"I assure you, she won't be restrained in any way-"

"Then, just what do you plan on doing with her?" Adam asked, and all went silent. Adam gazed at the three teachers, then his eyes widened before narrowing again as he took another step back.

"That settles it." Blake walking over and standing by Adam. She was glaring, now. "You're not coming anywhere near her."

"Yeah!" Nora walked over and stood by Blake and Adam, her eyes narrowed. "Something's wrong with her head! We need to help her, not put her down like some animal!" Ren walked over, standing by her and nodding at Blake and Adam. Sun rubbed his neck as he walked over as well, then he looked up at Ozpin, Goodwitch, and Ironwood.

"Come on, guys." He gave a nervous grin. "You're not seriously thinking about-" Ironwood looked at him, and Sun blinked before his eyes narrowed and he raised his weapon. "Nope. Not happening!"

"D-damn right." Sam managed, Dora having helped him stand. His skin and clothes were scorched and his hair stood on end, but he looked down at the arena with a glare. "You lay a hand on _Science-Girl_ , and you'll have to deal with us."

"And others." Dora noted, her eyes narrowed. "Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Sun's team wouldn't hesitate to stand against you, even after all of this."

"... Everyone, please: calm down." Ozpin sighed, then he looked up with a smile. "No harm is to come to Miss Merlot." Goodwitch didn't react, but Ironwood immediately went to protest.

"Ozpin-!"

"General." Ozpin looked over at him. "May I remind you of the many, many unprecedented factors in this situation? If we did any harm to the poor girl, the results would be disastrous. The headmasters agreed upon this six years ago."

"Six years ago, she wasn't lashing out and attacking students!" Ironwood protested, gesturing to the group. "They could have died!"

"But they didn't." Ozpin reasoned, looking over at them. "It goes to show that even first-years can detain her if the need presents itself, and what we witnessed..." Ozpin looked at Adam. "To this date, no one has been able to snap her out of one of her... _Fits_. We cannot ignore the fact that it now appears possible to bring her back to humanity without having to wait it out." Ozpin looked back at Ironwood. "She lives, James. She's one of my students, and her custody was given to me."

"It should have been given to me, with the circumstances."

"Well... When it's a three-to-one decision and you're the one who votes to put her down, it's unlikely that that's to happen." Ozpin actually deadpanned lightly, and Ironwood scowled. Ozpin looked back at the group. "... We need to place her in the infirmary and secure her. There's no knowing what state she'll be in upon awakening."

"... How do we know that this isn't a ploy to get her alone?" Adam asked, glaring. Ozpin blinked, then raised an eyebrow.

"If we really intended to kill her, do you really believe that we would let you walk away with that knowledge?" He inquired, and the students blinked before letting their guard down. "Now... Let's get this poor girl, and the rest of you, some medical attention."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Sam, Nora, Ren, and Sun were the ones who needed the most medical attention, and Dora stayed with Sam while Blake stayed with Sun. Adam, on the other hand, watched as doctors used leather restraints to pin an unconcious Jenna Elurra's limbs and torso to her hospital bed.

Her wild brown hair was free from its usual ponytail, and she wore a white t-shirt and white pants. Her right leg was bandaged in the place where Adam had shot it. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted just enough to show a bit of her teeth, and her expression seemed troubled.

"Well?" Ozpin asked as the doctors finished examining her. He had dismissed Goodwitch and Ironwood. "How is she?"

"She's got some bruising, that cut on her face isn't pretty, and she may have a minor concussion - but she'll be fine in a few days or so." The head doctor replied, looking at Ozpin. The headmaster nodded in reply.

"Good... And, her scans?"

"Her brain showed that it experienced a severe increase in activity in the area often associated with Feral, but the levels are at her normal, now."

"Her normal?" Adam asked, his eyes narrowing. Ozpin sighed, then looked at him.

"Mr. Taurus, Miss Elurra's condition doesn't come and go." He spoke forlornly. "There's always some part of her that's Feral... She just tends to keep that side of her in check by sedating it through other ways outside of - well - hunting. Or, at least, hunting _people_. She keeps her diet simple with a strong basis in protein, she takes morning runs, and she goes out at least once a month to - shall we say? - _manage_ the Grimm population in the Forest of Forever Fall." Ozpin looked back at Jenna. "... I knew her mother, Khione. A kind, quiet woman. She would have never wanted this for her daughter. No good mother would... I've done everything in my power to help her."

"... Jenna's father really is Doctor Merlot?" Blake asked, looking back at Ozpin. "He's in the history books. The man who doomed Mountain Glenn... But everything I've ever read said that he died."

"That's what we believed, until Miss Merlot came and told us otherwise." Ozpin said, shaking his head. "I hate to say it, but... I hope that, when Anino Merlot was forced to go Feral, he put an end to his father and his experiments for good."

"That is just... Twisted." Dora admitted, looking over at Jenna. "Adam... You said that her father did this to her. Did he do the same thing to her brother?"

"Yeah." Adam nodded in response. "That's what she said." Adam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I get why she didn't tell us about any of this. She was under orders, and honestly: if any of us knew before we got to know her, it probably wouldn't have ended well. But still..." Adam opened his eyes and looked down at his partner. "I can't help but feel like, if she told us, it wouldn't have come to this." Adam looked back at Ozpin. "... She will be allowed to return to the team once she recovers, right?"

"... That depends." Ozpin looked up at Adam, frowning. "Tell me, Adam Taurus... If Miss Elurra were to lose herself again and go on a rampage, and you weren't able to stop her in any other way - would you take her life?"

* * *

Late that night - or rather, morning - in the Team AJCS dorm...

"I can't believe it!" Dora shouted down at Adam as he sat on his bed, his eyes narrowed and on the floor. "What was all of that back in the arena about preserving life?!"

"Yeah, man!" Sam agreed, glaring. "She's your partner! Would you really-?!"

"Of course I wouldn't!" Adam snapped, and Sam and Dora blinked. "... I just said that so he'd let her go." Adam looked down, scowling. "We now know that the teachers at this school - or at least, those three - won't hesitate to kill one of our teammates... I don't think that we're in a position to do anything to provoke them. Her life depends on it."

"... Right." Dora nodded, her and Sam's eyes narrowing. "We're with you, Adam." Sam nodded, glaring.

"No one touches _Science-Girl_. Not without going through us."

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

In the morning, Team A(J)CS was called to Professor Ozpin's office so early that they couldn't even go and see Jenna first. Ozpin was hunched over a cup of coffee and looking like a complete wreck, and Goodwitch had more on standby. General Ironwood stood off to the side, his arms crossed.

"Team AJCS... Children and Mr. Taurus... I..." Ozpin shook his head, covering his eyes with his hand as Adam, Sam, and Dora came to stand before his desk. "I have some rather distressing news." At that, the three blinked.

"Sir?" Dora asked, worried. Ozpin sighed, then he looked up at him.

"... Miss Merlot is gone." The headmaster admitted, and the three blinked. "Last night, someone - or rather, something - broke into the infirmary and took her."

"... What?" Adam asked, his fists clenching at his sides. Dora and Sam actually stepped away from him out of fright due to the sheer amount of rage in his expression. Ozpin lightly gestured to Goodwitch, who held a scroll up.

...

 _In was all dark in the infirmary, and Jenna was the only one sleeping in there. Suddenly part of the wall and ceiling was destroyed, a Gryphon landing and looking around with narrowed eyes. What was usually red on a Grimm was glowing green, and the creature hissed softly as it noticed Jenna's shifting form._

 _"Huh..?" The girl looked up weakly, then her eyes fell on the creature. "Ah!" Jenna screamed, recoiling as much as she could in her fright, but then the beast began using its claws to cut the restraints holding her. "H-huh?" Jenna sat up, looking at her wrists with a frown. "What in the world..?" Jenna slowly looked up at the Gryphon, then her eyes widened in disbelief as she noticed its abnormalities. "No!"_

 _The Gryphon screeched and grabbed the girl by the back of her shirt, lifting her into the air as she struggled, then it flicked its head and sent her slamming into a wall. The girl fell back down, held in place by the Gryphon's beak but now unconcious, and the beast turned around and ran at the hole it had made, jumping and spreading its wings before soaring off into the night._

 _Moments later, Ozpin and several of the teachers arrived and looked around at the wreckage in disbelief, then Ozpin turned and looked up at the camera, his eyes wide. Suddenly, the screen went black, text appearing in white._

 _ **I've reclaimed my lost lusus naturae. You lose, Professor.**_

...

" _Lusus naturae_?" Adam blinked in surprise as Sam and Dora stared at the screen in disbelief, then his eyes narrowed dangerously as he realized what must have happened. "Doctor Merlot... He's alive."

* * *

 ** _Well... I know that that's an abrupt change._**

 ** _Jenna Elurra isn't Jenna Elurra, and Anino isn't some collected but temperamental loner living in the wilderness of Forever Fall and looking for his sister. Now, they are the children of Doctor Merlot - and two of his lusus naturae._**

 _ **If you don't know who Doctor Merlot is, he's a very mysterious character form the game** RWBY: Grimm Eclipse **. He likes to experiment on things that REALLY shouldn't be experimented on, claiming that it is for the sake of peace, and I really wanted to use his character in a story.**_ _ **Since this story was so bland and predictable before, I figured "why not?". Ol' Merlot could spice things up.**_

 _ **And spice things up he has. Now, Jenna's been returned to Doctor Merlot's labs, and everyone else faces the choice of whether or not to go after her.**_

 _ **Before you say I threw this in out of nowhere, keep in mind the build-up. Jenna's dropped little hints here and there about Merlot: her father was a scientist who lost his way, he lost his arm, he did some pretty controversial stuff in the name of peace, etc. Then, there's Jenna's aptitude for science and her different standpoints. Science-Girl is her father's daughter.**_

 _ **As for that fight, before you freak out: know that Jenna is not stronger than a good chunk of the main cast - Dora, Sam, Adam, Blake, Ren, and Nora -. They were all holding back in an attempt to not harm her, and through a mix of her ruthless attacks and her fighting-style having not yet been truly witnessed in its fullest form even when she was in complete control, they were running in blind and at a disadvantage. If Jenna were to try and fight them all while in her right mind and while they were all armed and wearing their combat attire, she'd probably be down and out within the first thirty seconds with most of them not having to lift a finger.**_

 _ **Jenna - in her right mind - is far less reckless and instinctual than she is in her Feral-mind. She is a bit more timid and cautious, and that would definitely trip her up in a fight. Plus, she's terrified of going Feral, meaning that she would never intentionally invoke it just to win a fight.**_

 _ **I only own my OCs. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)**_


	8. Welcome to the Island

A fist slammed into a wall in the Team AJCS dorm. Adam had his head bowed, his eyes closed and his gritted teeth bared in rage as the red on his body glowed faintly.

...

 ** _"I'm sorry, children. We've been left no choice. General Ironwood will focus the brunt of his forces on locating the island where Doctor Merlot's lab is situated, but with his mutated Grimm, it will be too dangerous to attempt a rescue... As much as it saddens me, we fully intend to bomb that island and wipe it, those Grimm, the Feral Faunus, and the Merlots off of the face of the planet for good. That is the only way that we can put a permanent end to all of this madness."_**

...

Adam's remaining two teammates, Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Sun, and Neptune all watched him with worry. Slowly, Sam walked over and placed a hand on his leader's shoulder.

"Adam-"

"We can't let this happen." Adam announced quietly, and Sam blinked. Then, he frowned slightly and sighed.

"I don't really see how we could stop it. We'd have to find the island first, get there, get Jenna and the Faunus, and get off before General Ironwood and Ozpin could blow the place to Hell."

"Then, we will." Adam looked back at him, glaring. He looked over at Blake. "Where would you hide something you were desperate to keep secret?" Blake blinked, then she looked up at Jenna's bookshelf. Slowly, Blake walked over and examined all of Jenna's books before picking up a book an looking at it. "What-?"

"The book that was in her hands, the day we met." Blake announced, looking up at Adam. " _The Snow Queen_... If I remember correctly, it's composed of seven separate stories. The story tells of a young girl who witnesses a change in her dearest friend due to an outside force manipulating him, and he is then taken away by a powerful, evil being. The little girl spends the whole book desperately trying to save him, but it all really starts in..." Blake turned some pages in the book. "The second story: _A Little Boy and a Little Girl_." Blake looked down, then blinked. "I was right." Adam walked over and looked down at the book, then he blinked as well.

"... Coordinates." Adam's red eyes narrowed slightly. "Blake-"

"On it." Blake typed the coordinates into her scroll, then blinked. "It's an island."

"Merlot's lab." Adam decided, turning and walking towards the door. Weiss quickly stepped in the way, placing her hands on her hips.

"Just where do you think you're going?"

"After her. Merlot has Jenna, and someone needs to go and get her."

"Adam, you told us what she said last night and you heard Ozpin." Dora protested, frowning. "That island is crawling with mutated Grimm and Feral Faunus. Between fighting the monsters and trying not to hurt the Faunus, you'd be dead within an hour."

"That doesn't mean that I shouldn't try to help her!"

"He's right." Sam spoke before anyone could protest. He walked over and stood by Adam, nodding. "I'll go with you. I can use my semblance to stun the Faunus, get them out of the way until we can find that cure Jenna mentioned." Adam blinked, then his eyes narrowed as he nodded.

"Alright. Thank you, Sam."

"... I'll go, too!" Ruby looked up, glaring as she walked over as well. "You're right, Adam! She's our friend, and she needs us!"

"If Ruby's going, I'm going." Yang walked over, crossing her arms. Pyrrha walked over, looking at Adam and nodding, and she was quickly followed by the rest of Team JNPR. Blake walked over, Sun following, and Neptune followed as well. Soon, it was just Weiss and Dora left.

"... She's my teammate." Dora looked up, giving a small smile. "Despite the secrets she kept... I'll fight to bring her home." With that, Dora walked over and left Weiss alone. The Ice Queen of Team RWBY gazed at everyone, then looked down, sighing.

"We are all going to die." She announced simply, then she walked over and looked up at Adam. "Well? We're all standing together, now. What's the plan?"

"... We need an airship."

* * *

Jenna shifted slightly, groaning in pain, then she opened her eyes and looked up. Wherever she was, it was pitch-black and cold, and she couldn't move her arms.

"H-hello?" She asked, looking around as her eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. "Hello? S-somebody, please - help! Let me out of here!"

 _ **:** Calm down. **:**_ A voice chided over a intercom system, and her eyes widened. _**:** I fully intend to let you go, but not until you calm down. We need to have a little chat. **:**_

"A..." Jenna's expression filled with horror, her eyes wide in disbelief and terror. Her whole body quivered, then she threw her head back and let out a long, shrill, scream of fright. "AH!"

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Stealing the bullhead was easier than Adam thought it would be. As he sat in the pilot's seat, flying towards the coordinates from Jenna's book, he looked over at his copilot with a raised eyebrow, frowning.

"Are you sure that you're the most certified?" He asked, almost hoping she would suggest someone else. Yang laughed, lifting up her sunglasses.

"Sorry, pal - but I have the widest range of experience with vehicles. You want someone else, go and get them. But I'm honest-to-gods your best bet."

"... Fine." Adam deadpanned lightly, and Yang snickered before facing forward as well. In the back of the bullhead, the others were sitting in wait.

Pyrrha laughed good-naturedly as she rubbed a sick-looking Jaune's back, Ren and Nora talking about another dream the Bubbly Bomber had had. Weiss and Dora were arguing over their overall views on the upper-class while Sam and Ruby tried to stick whole cookies up their noses, and Blake quietly read through a book - Jenna's book, _The Snow Queen_ \- as Sun looked over her shoulder and Neptune leaned against the wall, playing a video-game on his scroll.

"Hm." Blake frowned, her eyes narrowing. "Jenna drew and wrote a lot in the margins, except for in one story. Apparently, the _Fifth Story: The Little Robber-Girl_ was Anino's favorite - and she left them blank, except for the last one."

"What's on the last one?" Sun asked, raising an eyebrow. Blake turned the pages, and Sun blinked in surprise to see a sketch of a young man. He had lightly-messy hair and warm, light-filled eyes, and he wore a sort of casual suit underneath a lab-coat. "Huh... You think that's him?"

"Might be." Blake replied, lightly shrugging. "... I think she misses him, and she definitely blames herself." Sun blinked, then his eyes narrowed lightly.

"Hey?"

"Yeah?"

"Adam said that Jenna said that the last she saw, Anino attacked Merlot. If Merlot survived, what happened to Anino?"

"Don't know." Blake replied, then she looked up at him. "There are only two options, really - Merlot killed his son, or Anino spared Merlot (by force or for some other reason) before running off. Either way, Anino's probably long gone. He'd never survive six years in the wild, especially with the Grimm."

"Yeah." Sun frowned, gazing at the image. "... It must have been horrible. Seeing family go Feral." Sun looked down. "Seeing someone I know only sorta-well like Jenna was bad enough. Seeing family... What must have been going through her head, at the time?"

" _Am I going to have to house-train my brother?_ " Neptune offered, giving a weak grin, and Blake looked up at him with a deadpan as Sun laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, sorry..." Neptune frowned. "Just how common is this Feral stuff, when it's natural?"

"Not very." Blake replied, shaking her head. "It's most common among those Faunus who have been caged and treated like animals, like the ones in-" Blake paused, briefly and discretely looking back at Adam - no one really noticing the gesture -, then she looked back at Neptune and lowered the volume of her voice. "Mistralian Black Markets."

"Oh." Neptune blinked, then looked down. "You know, I never even knew about those things until Sage told me. It was after we'd seen some shady guys looking at Sun funny while we were out buying ammo." Neptune's eyes narrowed. "I had half a mind to go back to that alleyway and rip them a new one."

"Careful, Neptune." Sam looked up, giving a wry grin. "You'd have probably made too big of a show out of it. Taking down Mistralian Slave-Traders requires... Finesse."

"Oh?" Dora looked away from Weiss and at her partner, deadpanning. "Yeah. You were real graceful."

"Yeah, I was! I only got caught the one time!" Sam laughed lightly, and Neptune blinked in surprise. Weiss, Ren, Blake, and Pyrrha had wide eyes while everyone else looked confused.

"Wait, what?" Sun asked, looking at Sam. "Sam, what did you do?" Sam blinked, then gave a small smile.

"What can I say? I like doing the right thing." He told him, crossing his arms. "No matter what the cost."

* * *

The bullhead landed on some old docks on the coast of the small forest-covered island, the thirteen filing out. As they all looked around, Ruby blinked in surprise before smiling.

"It looks kinda like Patch." She decided, and Yang nodded. "Except for there." Ruby pointed to some buildings in the distance. "It looks like someone was trying to build a city."

"Hm." Adam noticed, his eyes narrowed. "Or Merlot is trying to build a headquarters..." He looked around. "No Grimm or Ferals, yet. They must be congregating in the center of the island, near the lab. That's-" He pointed to the buildings. "Probably where it is, and where he's holding Jenna... We should get moving."

"Alright." Jaune nodded in agreement. He, Sun, and Ruby - the three other leaders present - stepped forward and turned to the others. "Stick together, guys. We need eyes everywhere to make sure that nothing can sneak up on us."

"Yeah." Ruby agreed with him. "We don't know what we're up against, and we need to be ready for anything."

From the forest brush at the end of the ruined docks, a pair of blue eyes narrowed slightly, watching the thirteen students with interest. As they turned and began walking towards the trees, the figure moved aside and let them pass before stealthily following behind them.

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Time passed as Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Team A(J)CS, Sun, and Neptune made their way through the forest. They encountered some normal-seeming Grimm and dealt with them, but they had yet to come across a Feral Faunus or advanced Grimm.

"Ozpin said that this place was crawling with the things." Yang finally spoke up, looking around with narrowed eyes. "Didn't he?"

"Maybe he didn't know." Ruby protested, looking back at Yang. "But, I mean... If Doctor Merlot wants to use the Grimm AND the Faunus, he probably has a way to keep them separated."

"Which means that we'll probably run into one and not the other." Jaune reasoned, his eyes narrowing as he looked around. "Which, either way, probably won't be good for us."

"I brought some lightning-Dust." Sam spoke, looking at Jaune. "If it's the Faunus, I can knock them out with nonlethal doses. It'll hurt, but no one will have to die."

"And if it's the Grimm?" Pyrrha asked, seeming concerned. Adam scoffed lightly, still walking forward.

"We do what we were trained to do. Eliminate them."

* * *

The students made their way towards the island's center, and they finally encountered their first advanced Grimm while passing through a clearing. It was a Beowulf, and it growled at them with intelligent green eyes, green mist rising from the spikes on its body as it remained at a distance.

"Whoa." Yang blinked, surprised, and they all stopped. "That's... One of the Grimm?"

"Yeah, I think so." Blake agreed, readying her weapon. "And it's a Beowolf... There could be a pack watching us."

Slowly, the Grimm began walking a circle around the thirteen, appearing to survey their defense. The fighters subtly readied their weapons, but they could tell that the creature could see. That it understood.

"Uh... Guys?" Jaune asked, and everyone realized that they were surrounded by glowing green eyes in the shadows cast by the forest around them. "T-there's the pack!"

"Make a circle!" Adam snapped, looking back. "Backs to the center! Theyre going to charge, and we're going to take these things head-on!" Everyone nodded and got into position, and Adam looked back at the fully visible Beowolf. "Let's see if Merlot's pets have anything on a regular Beowolf. Maybe, they'll be just as stupid."

The visible Beowolf growled, actually seeming offended, then it snarled and darted forward. Adam drew his blade and lashed out, the Beowolf swiftly ducking underneath the attack, only for Adam's gun to shoot twice and blow its brains out.

"So... A bit smarter than normal Beowolves." Blake noted, frowning at the dissolving form. "And about twice as sturdy. That's just brilliant." The pack charged, and the students began fighting them back.

Everyone else eventually divided into partners within the circle in order to cope with the strength of the advanced Beowolves, Adam being the only one fighting alone but - being a far more experienced fighter - seeming to fare the best out of all with the others a little ways behind him. The ones faring the worst seemed to be Sun and Neptune, and mostly Neptune.

"Rah!" Neptune stabbed his trident at a Beowolf's chest, the electricity quickly taking affect but seeming to only annoy the creature, and Neptune blinked before laughing nervously. "Uh... Nice doggie?" A shot rang and blew the Beowolf's shull with an explosive round, Sun lowering a gun and looking back at his partner. "Thanks, man! I owe you one!"

"These things are a lot stronger than they look!" Yang shouted over the noise of the fire from her gauntlets. She brought her fist up on a Beowolf's chin before leaping up bringing a second punch down to its head, a round firing and killing the creature.

"Yeah!" Pyrrha shouted extending her sword into a javelin and impaling a Beowolf's chest as Jaune managed to sever another monster's leg before stabbing its throat. "They dodge at least half of our attacks! Merlot intends to unleash these creatures upon the world?!"

"That's what Science-Girl said!" Sam replied, having comb8ned his katanas into a crossbow. He loaded a bolt and fired, the ice-Dust in the bolt activating and freezing two of the Beowolves. "Dora, now!"

Dora drew a brown orb from her bag, pressed a red button on the side, and threw it to the ground below the two frozen monsters before drawing what appeared to be a wireless trigger from her bag. She smirked, pressing down on the red button on top, and the orb exploded in a burst of fire, destroying the two Beowolves and leaving a splatter of red paint.

"... AWESOME!" Ruby cheered as she decapitated a Beowolf. "You use Dust-infused paint-grenades! You've gotta show me how to make t-" Ruby blinked as Weiss darted up and stabbed an attacking Beowolf in the mouth, severing the spinal cord and effectively killing it. "Um... Thanks, BFF?"

"Focus, you dolt!" Weiss scolded, and they went back to fighting. Soon, the pack was almost defeated, and Sun faced one last Beowolf. The boy smirked, spinning his bo-staff as the creature growled.

"Come on!" The monkey-Faunus challenged. "Let's do this!" Instead or attacking, the creature turned and ran off into the forest. "H-hey!" Sun followed the creature into the trees, and Neptune looked back with wide eyes having just finished a Beowolf of his own.

"Sun?! Sun, get back here!"

* * *

The Beowolf kept running as Sun gave chase, then it turned back as they arrived at a smaller clearing and lunged. Sun raised his gun-chucks and quickly fired four times, striking the monster's chest, and it landed at his feet, dead.

Sun sighed, relieved, then smirked and gave a short laugh as he spun his bo-staff before resting it on his shoulder and turning away from the dissolving Grimm. He started walking away, only for a rock to soar out of the shadows and strike his head.

"Ow!" Sun winced, rubbing the back of his head as he turned around. "Huh?" All was silent, then another rock flew out of the trees and struck the ground at Sun's feet. The monkey-Faunus blinked, then frowned as he looked off in the direction from which the rock had come. "... Hello?"

"Tch." Something in the brush came closer, and Sun was able to make out eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness. He blinked, then took a step back, readying his weapon. Was it another Grimm?

Suddenly, a round rock rolled out of the brush and tapped Sun's foot, and he blinked as he looked down at it before looking up at the eyes in the shadows again. Slowly, Sun got down on one knee and set his weapon down, releasing it, then he looked up at the eyes again.

"... My name is Sun." He announced quietly. "My friends and I are here to stop Doctor Merlot, to save his daughter - who he kidnapped from Beacon Academy -, and to try and help the Feral Faunus... Are you one of them?"

* * *

The battle over and the Grimm dissolving all around the large clearing, the remaining twelve looking around with urgency for their missing ally. Neptune was the most frantic of them all.

"Sun?!" He shouted, his eyes darting around as he searched the trees. "Come on, man! This isn't funny! Where'd you go?!" Blake walked over and stood beside Neptune, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"He's alright. Just taking his time making his way back." She tried to assure him, but even she seemed uncertain. Adam shook his head, sighing.

"Stupid kid..." He scowled lightly. Suddenly, something in the brush moved and made the leaves rustle, and everyone readied their weapons as a pair of eyes glinted from within the shadows.

Adam raised _Blush_ and fired, but the figure in the darkness dodged and let out a low, angry growl. Adam readied to fire again, seeming extremely annoyed, then, a white, blue, tan, red, and gold figure darted in the way.

"Wait, wait!" Sun held his hands up. "He's not a Grimm! He's a Feral Faunus - but he's friendly, really!" At that, everyone blinked and slowly lowered their weapons. A figure in the shadows seemed to tilt their head to the side. "I told him why we were here, and he wants to help us!" Sun looked back at the figure, grinning. "Come on, tell 'em! One rock means no, you don't want to help two rocks means that yes, you do." Almost immediately, two rocks were flung from the shadows and they struck Adam in the chest and stomach, making the bull-Faunus deadpan as Sun laughed. "I don't think he likes you, Adam. Right?" Two more rocks hit Adam, and the leader of Team AJCS sighed as everyone else actually laughed, chuckled, or snickered.

"What? You want me to apologize for shooting at you?" Adam asked dryly, only to blink in surprise as two more rocks landed at his feet. "... Okay. Sorry." A satisfied huff rang out in the darkness. "So... Where to?"

"Hm!" A grunt rang out, and bushes began moving, something within them heading east. The students exchanged glances before giving chase, following the shifting brush as Sun's new friend led them somewhere.

"Can we trust him?" Blake asked, her eyes narrowing as they ran. Sun looked over at her, grinning.

"Oh, yeah! He's actually a really nice guy!" He replied, then he looked down, frowning. "... We have to cure him." At the serious tone he'd taken, everyone blinked in surprise. Sun was looking straight forward now, his eyes narrowed. "We have to cure all of them."

"All of them?" Blake asked, then she blinked. "Did he tell you how many there-?" They arrived at the entrance to a cave, and their eyes widened. "Are..?"

The cave had stairs carved from stone that led down to some sort of miniature, on-site laboratory. In the back were monitors and equipment, but the massive space was mostly dominated by row upon row of cages. Within the cages were people - Faunus -, curled up into little balls on the floor, crawling on all fours, or growling at other people.

Surprisingly, they seemed pretty healthy. Their hospital-like clothes were clean even though their hair had grown out, and none of them seemed at all injured or wanting for food or water. But all of them were wild, like animals on the inside even though they still seemed human on the outside.

These were Doctor Merlot's Feral Faunus.

"... Oh, gods..." Weiss stared with all of the rest, but her body shook lightly. She was absolutely horrified, and she wasn't the only one.

Yang was mostly angry, her eyes tinting towards red. Neptune placed a hand on Sun's shoulder, the blonde boy having completely frozen, looking angry and even a little scared. Pyrrha had raised a hand to her mouth, Nora had raised two. Ren and Jaune's eyes were wide, and Ruby looked like she wanted to cry. Dora quickly reached out and grabbed Sam's arm, the livid-looking boy having attempted to step forward. Blake's jaw had dropped, her body tense and her wide eyes filled with disbelief, but she slowly looked over at Adam.

"... Are you okay?" She asked quietly, frowning. Adam's clenched fists shook at his sides as he saw all of the cages filled with Faunus, and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"I'm fine." He announced, doing his best to keep his voice and expression calm and collected. He turned around, his gaze falling on the glowing eyes in the darkness. "... Well? What, now?" All was silent, then...

"Help... Us..." A man's voice struggled to force the words out, and everyone - except for Sun - couldn't stop their eyes from widening as the figure emerged. He shambled out of the shadows in a way akin to how an ape would move, crouched with his legs bent and his knuckles acting as front legs as he moved forward.

He appeared to be in his late twenties, his hair - both his hair and a mustache/beard on his face - was long and tangled with leaves and twigs, and no one could be certain if his hair was naturally brown or so dirty that it just appeared to be so. His skin was streaked with dirt, and there was a scar on his right cheek. His clothes appeared to be what tattered remains were left of a casual suit and dress-shirt, and his feet were bare. His eyes were blue and crazed, and a pair of brown wolf-ears twitched on top of his head.

"... It's him." Adam realized, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Anino Merlot, the older brother." The wild man's eyes narrowed as everyone stared at him in astonisment.

"Napa... Danger... Help us..."

* * *

Jenna sat at a small, square-shaped stable made of stainless steel in a chair made of the same metal, her arms chained to the rests. The small, white room was empty besides for her, her chair, the table, and another chair. The door opened, and a man entered, holding a tray.

The man had wild grey hair, one real blue eye, one synthetic red eye, a synthetic arm, and he was dressed in the garb of a scientist. The silver-colored tray held a tall glass of water, silverware, a white plate with some freshly-cooked meat, and a filled wine-glass. The man set the tray down on the table, then he looked up at Jenna.

"... I'm not going to hurt you." He announced quietly, and Jenna's eyes narrowed. "I know that we didn't part on the best of terms, but I need to talk to you." He reached for his pocket, and Jenna let out a low growl. The man paused, then sighed and reached into his pocket anyway, drawing a key. "Now... Hold still. You're going to need your hands, if you're going to eat."

"Huh?" Jenna asked, blinking in surprise, and she watched in disbelief as the man removed her chains. Once he was finished, the man walked back over and sat down in the other chair, taking the wine-glass, then he gestured to the tray.

"Well?" He asked, and Jenna's eyes narrowed. "... Do you really think that I would have gone to the trouble of getting a venison steak if I intended to poison it?" Jenna blinked at that, then slowly reached for the glass of water, watching to see if the man would react. When he didn't, she quickly took it and took a drink, then she set it down before grabbing the silverware and beginning to cut into the steak. "... So, you've been at Beacon, all this time?"

"Pretty much." Jenna replied, having finished chewing and swallowing the first cut of meat. "Ozpin picked me up in Forever Fall."

"Ozpin, eh?"

"Yeah. He made me train at his school."

"How did you end up in that infirmary?"

"I-" Jenna paused, blinking, then looked down. She set the silverware down, then folded her hands in her lap and looked away. "I did something terrible."

"What do you mean?"

"Father-"

"Napa." Doctor Merlot spoke quietly, and his daughter slowly looked back at him. "... Tell me what happened, sweetheart."

"... My partner, Adam - he wouldn't stop questioning me." Jenna slowly crossed her arms, sitting back in her chair. "I tried to fight it, but I was so angry... I went Feral." All went silent, then...

"So... The small dose made a sort of Feral that is triggered and unleashed but eventually recedes back into the subconscious, and your descents into the Feral are triggered by anger?" Merlot asked quietly, and Jenna looked down. Then, she looked up at him and nodded. "Hmm. Of course. The most primal of all emotions... What was it like?"

"I..." Jenna closed her eyes. "It was horrible. The whole time, I wanted to stop. But there was something else that was stronger, something that made me attack my friends. I was so scared... I just wanted to stop..." Jenna raised her hands to her mouth, her body starting to shake as tears welled up.

"Now, now. I can't help you if you stop telling me exactly what happened and start blubbering. How did the starting stage go?"

"I lost c-control, and the first thing I-I did was punch my p-partner." Jenna replied, looking up at him. "After that, I-I was trying to fight it, but I k-kept talking. That thing inside of me - the Feral -, it told h-him nearly everything."

" _Nearly everything_?"

"It left out the part about... About what happened after Mom died." Jenna looked away, her eyes on the floor. The first tear fell, and she closed her eyes. "But he knows about the Grimm and Feral experiments... He knows about Ani and I."

"... Sweetheart." Merlot raised a hand to the side of her face, and she slowly looked back at him. "I've been searching for you ever since I lost you, and I've been working on a cure."

"There is no cure, Father. You told me that you were certain."

"I wasn't in my right mind, that night six years ago. What I did to you and your brother, it was wrong. And with the gods as my witnesses, I will make it right."

"... You can't." Jenna's brown eyes narrowed, her hair bristling. Tears fell freely, now. "You made my brother into an animal, and I... I'm not sure what I am! I'm not Faunus, not animal - I'm a freak!"

"And what's so wrong with that?" Merlot countered, and Jenna blinked. "... Napa, what is your definition of _normalcy_?"

"It's..." The girl blinked again, then looked down. "It's not this. It's not living in fear of becoming a monster-"

"What is a cat to a mouse?" Merlot inquired, and Jenna looked up at him. "What is a dog to a cat? What's a Grimm to a normal human, and what is an ignorant Huntsman or Huntress to a Grimm?" Jenna blinked, her hair calming down. "Both _monster_ and _normal_ are relative, my dear. They're what the beholder believes... You are no monster, sweetheart. You are strong, very strong - just as your mother and I always knew you would be. And as for freak, well... There is some good in being a freak."

"What?"

"... Freaks know what they are." Merlot replied, and his daughter's eyes widened. "Their clarity in terms of self are unmatched... You know exactly who and what you are - you are my daughter, Napa Merlot, and you are a warrior, a wolf-Faunus, and a beautiful lusus naturae." Merlot stood and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Now please, my dear... I need your help."

"My help?"

"There are many wrongs in this world, and only by working together can we right them." Merlot announced, and his daughter looked down. "I've perfected my formulas, and I have cures for the temporary Feral. I need a sample of your blood to create an antidote for the permenant Feral... If you help me, not only will we use the tamed Grimm and Feral Faunus to end all of this conflict together, but we will find your brother and make things right. I swear it."

All was silent, then the young wolf-Faunus stood and turned to her father. Slowly, she looked up, her expression calm and her eyes narrowed, then she gave a small nod as her tears stopped falling.

"Alright, Father... I'll help you."

* * *

 ** _Well... Yeah._**

 ** _The thirteen are on the island and looking for Doctor Merlot, who has managed to convince his daughter - Napa, AKA Jenna Elurra - back onto his side, and they've found an ally in Anino Merlot, who has become a real wild-man due to the Feral formula._**

 ** _... I think that's a bit more interesting than the old story, don't you? XD_**

 ** _The original Jenna had a strong moral standpoint and believed that good and evil were black and white. This Jenna is somewhat uncertain in some areas, finding a lot of grey the world, and thus she is easier to sway._**

 ** _Well, what now? Will the teams and Anino be able to sway Jenna back onto their side, or will she help her father in his plans and actually succeed in bringing about his cataclismic vison?_**

 ** _I only own my OCs! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	9. What Must Be Done

Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Team A(J)CS, Sun, and Neptune stared at Anino Merlot in absolute astonishment. He gazed up at them, seeming somewhat wary, then he took a deep breath.

"Yes." He nodded, looking at Adam. "I... Anino." Blake's eye's were wide.

"A Feral, talking? How is this possible?"

"And you said he was probably dead!" Weiss looked over at Blake. "How can he be alive, after six years?!" Anino quickly moved back as Weiss raised her voice, his eyes narrowing.

"You're scaring him!" Sun scolded, his eyes narrowing slightly, and Weiss blinked. Sun looked over at Anino, smiling kindly. "Hey, it's okay. We're not going to hurt you. We need your help, remember?" Anino blinked, then frowned.

"... I... Help..." He forced the words out, looking frustrated with himself. "You... Save..."

"... If you help us find your father and your sister, we will do whatever we can to help you and these people." Jaune nodded, frowning down at the man. "Okay?"

"Mm." Anino nodded, then he slammed his fist onto his chest. "Ani."

"Sun." Sun pointed at himself. "Remember? Sun." Ani nodded, and Sun looked back at everyone else. One by one, they slowly gestured to themselves and said their names, Anino looking at each of them as they did so.

"Ani." He gestured to himself again once they were done, then he gestured to his head. "Friend - Sun -, he know. I... I no full turn Feral." All eyes widened, and Sun slowly nodded in agreement.

"Yeah." He agreed, frowning slightly. "Blake's right. Ferals can't speak. Even Jenna, when she briefly turned, didn't talk. And Ani, he isn't acting completely like an animal. There's humanity, there... But how?"

"Napa, I - same prick." Ani pointed to his arm. "Same prick. No full turn."

"What is he saying?" Yang raised an eyebrow. Adam gazed at Ani for a moment, then blinked.

" _Same prick_... When Merlot tried to turn Jenna - or _Napa_ , apparently-" Ani nodded. "A small bit of the serum entered her bloodstream - not the whole syringe-full of formula. I think he's trying to tell us that Merlot didn't refill the syringe before trying to turn him." Adam looked at Ani for confirmation, and he nodded in reply. "Both you and your sister aren't full-Feral. But while she's more human than animal, you weren't as lucky."

"Most wolf." Ani nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Smell prey. Cow, cat, monkey. Others-" He gestured to the caged Feral Faunus, his hand shaking. "But human part, it knows. You people - good people, friends -, not prey. And sister, she... Danger." The wild-man looked up at the students again. "I... Want help. We save sister from Father... Please?"

"What does he want with her?" Jaune asked, and Ani shrugged. "Well, that's a lot of help." Ani looked down, frowning.

"I... Sorry. Father not know I still here. Been... Hiding."

"... All alone, for six years?" Sun asked, frowning slightly. Ani looked up at him. "Did anyone talk to you ever, even once?" Ani blinked, then looked down again.

"I try... To find other..." He gestured to the other Feral Faunus. "They... They all animal, now. And even if not... I no right." Ani looked up at Sun, his eyes tearing up. "All this, my fault... I deserve. They, no."

"Jenna - Napa - said that it was Ani who captured the Faunus and brought them to Merlot." Adam noted coldly, and Ani looked down, ashamed. "... How old were you, when he started making you do it?" Ani blinked, then looked up at Adam, frowning.

"I... I fifteen, first hunt." He admitted, looking down. "Ten years... Seem longer." Everyone blinked, then Ruby frowned slightly, looking down.

"Fifteen?" She asked, and everyone briefly looked at her before looking back at Ani. Slowly, Sun got down on one knee again, frowning.

"... Ani?" He asked, and the man looked up at him. "I know you feel guilty... But now, you have the chance to make up for it. If you help us find your dad and your sister, we can cure these people and send them home. Okay?"

"O... Okay." Ani nodded, his eyes narrowing. He looked back at all of the cages, his body tensing, then he took a deep breath and seemed to force himself to stand up straight. Sun stood up too, and it appeared that Ani was at chin-height with him. "I... I help you. Find Napa, stop Father, free people."

"Alright." Adam nodded, his eyes still narrowed. "Where to?" Ani looked at him, then dropped back into his animalistic position, turned, and bounded off. Everyone exchanged glances before following, the sound of a wolflike howl ringing out in the forest.

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

In a laboratory at the center of an island, a young woman sat on a lab-table, wincing as a syringe in her arm drew dark, crimson blood from her body.

"Ah..." Jenna winced as her father removed the syringe. "Is... Is that enough?"

"It should be." Doctor Merlot looked up at her, setting the syringe aside and placing a bandage-pad on her arm, wrapping it in gauze. "Is your aura recovering from the... Encounter... You had last night?" Jenna blinked, then looked down.

"Yeah... It should be fine in an hour or two.."

"Good." Merlot nodded, then he raised an eyebrow. "Hm."

"What?"

"... Are you more comfortable in your hospital garb, or would you like something more practical?" Merlot asked, and Jenna looked down at herself before looking back at him. "... Your room is as you left it." Jenna blinked, then looked down. "And..." Jenna blinked as Merlot held out a large silver rectangle. "I took the liberty of having a Nevermore retrieve this from where it was being held at the time of your extraction from Beacon."

"You..." Jenna blinked again, then she took the weapon. "Thank you."

"There will be some who will try to stop us." Merlot told her, and she looked at him. "I trust that you're prepared to take necessary measures?" Jenna blinked, then sighed and nodded.

"Yes, Father... I am."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Team A(J)CS, Sun, and Neptune followed Anino Merlot as he moved along a path. Every once in a while, the wild-man would look back and gesture for them to keep following, then he'd look forward again and keep moving.

"He certainly is eager." Yang noted, giving a small smile. Then, she smirked and rolled her eyes as she looked over at Sun. "I can see why you bonded."

"Ani's awesome." Sun defended, crossing his arms. "I mean... Who else do you know who communicates by throwing rocks at Adam?" Adam obviously responded by looking over at Sun, his expression filled with annoyance as he gave a low growl. "Oh, lighten up! It really is funny!"

"Ani definitely thinks so." Neptune noted, hearing the older man snicker as he kept moving. "... You've gotta wonder what it must be like in his head. I mean, he's obviously still got some human in there, but-"

"We have to keep in mind that a lot of him still is wolf." Blake crossed her arms, nodding. "Not to mention that he's unarmed... We can't really depend on him if we come across any Grimm."

"Right." Adam agreed, his eyes narrowing as he looked forward at Ani. "He's unarmed, and what was human was a scientist - not a fighter. Jenna said that defeating just a few Grimm the night Merlot changed him took it all out of him, and that was when he still had a clay head... We should consider him a civilian - an REALLY inexperienced civilian - and one of us needs to be with him at all times."

"Alright." Jaune nodded, then they exited the forest and arrived at what looked like the edge of an abandoned city. "Whoa..."

"I'm thinking that there's a reason why Merlot chose to settle here." Weiss' eyes narrowed slightly. "An abandoned settlement on a small island would probably be the perfect place for a lab that isn't supposed to be found."

"And the perfect place to keep an eye on all of his experimental Grimm." Ruby glared, hearing the sounds of growls and howls in the distance. "The city's probably full of them."

"... One way to find out." Pyrrha spoke, readying her weapons. Everyone else nodded in agreement and readied their weapons, then they all slowly entered the city.

* * *

It all went to Hell almost immediately.

They were surrounded by mutated Grimm and strange android, and they were separated. Jaune found himself alone with Anino in a back alleyway, and the blonde boy looked back at the wild-man with wide eyes as they were corner by three Beowolves and an Ursa.

"Stay back!" He pleaded, and Anino blinked. "I'll protect you j-just don't worry!" Jaune turned back to the Grimm, took a deep breath, then got into a defensive stance.

The first Beowolf charged, and Jaune blocked a swing with his shield before slashing at its chest. He landed the strike, but it wasn't deep enough to be lethal. The beast growled and moved its head closed, and Jaune yelped before stabbing his blade up through the jaw and 8ngo the brain, killing the Grimm. The second and third charged, and Jaune managed to duck a swing from one before stabbing it in the chest. He tried to pull his sword out, but it got stuck in the dissolving Grimm, and the third Beowolf swept a paw at him and knocked him into a wall. Luckily, Jaune had managed to hold onto his sword, and as the Grimm lunged, Jaune panicked and stabbed up, killing the monster. Jaune threw the dissolving Grimm off of himself and looked up at the mutated Urda, his eyes wide and his breathing ragged.

' _Okay, Jaune. You can do this. You can do this... In three, two, one. G-!_ '

"RAH!" Anino leapt onto the back of the Ursa, growling as he tore one of its spikes out with his bare hands and brought it down on the creature's left eye, piercing it and effectively killing the monster. Jaune took a step back, his eyes wide, as the Grimm fell and Anino looked up, his eyes narrowed.

"Whoa..." Jaune stared at him, shocked. "Cool."

"I not helpless." Anino spoke gruffly, giving a curt nod as he left the dissolving monster's back. The others caught up, and their eyes widened as they saw the scene.

"He killed that thing with his bare hands?" Adam asked, and Jaune looked back, still shaking slightly as he nodded. "... Okay, then. Nix what I said about him being inexperienced and needed protected - he's evidently fine."

"Damn straight." Anino smirked, and everyone looked back at him. "... Certain phrase, no effort in."

"... Definitely Jenna's brother." Yang crossed her arms, grinning. "I like him." Blake lightly rolled her eyes.

"Of course you do."

* * *

After some more traveling and fighting, the group finally arrived at a large pipe. In one area, the glowing-green substance was leaking and dripping onto the ground. Anino sniffed it, then growled lowly as his hair bristled.

"Is that the substance that mutates the Grimm?" Ren asked, his eyes narrowing. Anino looked back at him, nodding.

"Serum." He replied coldly, then he looked back at the substance. "Follow. Lab there." Anino pointed to the pipe, his eyes narrowing. "Napa there." Adam nodded, then he looked at Anino.

"... Are you sure that you don't know why he brought her here?" Adam asked, and Anino nodded. "So... Is this where you leave us, or-?"

"No." Anino shook his head, glaring. "He... Hurt... Napa... Once... I... Won't... Let... It... Happen... Again..." Everyone blinked as Anino focused on structuring complete sentences, looking extremely strained and frustrated. "I... Promised... When... She... Was... Born... I... Would... Always... Protect... Her... I... Have... To... Help... Her..." Anino looked eyes, his eyes twitching lightly as he bared fanged teeth. "Even... Wolves... Understand... Family..."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Jenna stood in a long hallway, gazing at a door. The marker on it read _Anino_ , and she sighed, placing a hand on it, before turning and walking a little bit longer, arriving at a door with a marker reading _Napa_. Slowly, she reached up and turned the knob, opening the door and peering inside.

 ** _..._**

 ** _"This is your home now, sweetheart. You can make it look however you want."_**

 ** _"I can?"_**

 ** _"Of course you can, as long as you leave some space for your books. We must be practical, yes?"_**

 ** _"Yes, Daddy."_**

 ** _..._**

Jenna gave a small smile, stepping inside. A bed made of stainless steel sat in the corner, covered in blue blankets and pillows, with drawings and diagrams of various forms of wildlife pinned to the wall behind it. A nightstand next to it had a reading lamp and all of the novels she loved to read as a child. Another corner had a dresser with a mirror on it, the other corner housing the door that led to her small closet. The last corner had her old desk in it, and a computer and a scroll laid amongst textbooks and papers, along with a half-finished diagram of a dragonfly.

"... Hmm." Jenna looked around, crossing her arms. She expected dust, but it actually looked like the room had been maintained for the six years that she had been gone to be exactly as she left it. Her eyes drifted down, her smile not faltering for a second.

' _Does this mean that he's really changed?_ ' She wondered to herself. Shaking out of her thoughts, she walked over to the closet and opened it, looking inside. She came in there for a reason, after all.

* * *

Jenna stood in front of her dresser, gazing at her reflection. She wore khaki pants, black sneakers, a purple t-shirt, and a long, white lab-coat. A black strap across her body held her collapsed weapon to her back. Her hair was in its usual ponytail, and as she looked up and into the mirror, her ears flopped before perking up.

"Just one thing missing." She announced quietly, and she opened one of the dresser drawers, drawing a small, silver and blue hair-pin made in the shape of a dragonfly. She placed it amongst her frizzy brown tresses on the left side of her head, and she gazed at herself for a moment longer. "... He's trying to change the world for the better. I have to help."

She believed this, she really did. But, for a moment, her reflection flashed before her eyes, showing a beautiful middle-aged woman dressed in white and blue armor. She had wavy brown hair that moved in a light wind that Jenna couldn't feel, the clip that now resided in Jenna's hair clearly visible in her own, and she opened a pair of brown eyes, gazing down at Jenna forlornly as a pair of wolf-ears on her head flicked back.

" _Napa..._ " She whispered, and Jenna blinked. The vision was gone, and it was her own reflection in the mirror. Jenna stared for a moment, then sighed, shaking her head as she turned away, the coat she was wearing swishing with her movements.

"... I'm sorry, Mother." She announced softly, closing her eyes. "But for the greater good... I must help Father finish what he has started." Jenna opened and narrowed her eyes, and she departed from the room.

* * *

 ** _Well... What do you think of that?_**

 ** _I'm doing my best to keep a lot of the video-game involved in this, but I'm also trying to give this tale its own, unique story. Plus, I'm also trying to stay true to the spirit of the old version of "A Change in Fate"._**

 ** _In the old version, Anino preserves the bones of Grimm and uses them for weapons. I wasn't paying attention to the Grimm WOR when I wrote that bit, so I failed to recall tat there was no known way to do that. I could have said tat Merlot found a way, but instead I decided to simply reference the idea by Anino killing a Grimm with its own spike before it could dissolve._**

 ** _I only own my OCs. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	10. Fragments

Entering Merlot's lab was the equivalent of entering Hell. Around every corner was a mutated Grimm or a squadron of powerful androids that had to be dispatched. All the same, they fought their way through level after level of laboratory and storage, and Adam charged up his _Moonslice_ semblance at several different occasion to destroy rows of large contained containing the Grimm serum. It took a large toll on his aura, but he didn't care. No serum meant no new mutants, and no new mutants would be helpful if they wanted to survive and find his partner.

"Adam, Dora, Sam!" Ruby shouted as she, her teammates, Team JNPR, Sun, and Neptune fought off a massive mutant Death-Stalker, the girl looking back with narrowed eyes. "Go and find Jenna! We'll finish this!"

"We can't just leave you here!" Dora protested, her eyes narrowing into a glare. Jaune looked back, frowning.

"We might get overwhelmed if we stay in this place any longer than we have to, or Merlot could set the Faunus on us!" He reminded them. "You need to find Jenna so that we can get out of here!"

"... He's right." Adam decided, and Sam and Dora looked at him. "Let's go." With that, the bull-Faunus turned and ran. Sam and Dora hesitated, then they quickly followed him.

"Hm." Anino watched them go, frowning. Sun noticed and looked down at him, then frowned.

"Go." He advised, and Anino looked up at him. "She's your sister, isn't she?" Anino blinked, then his eyes narrowed as he nodded before running off after the three members of Team AJCS.

* * *

Team A(J)CS And Anino made their way through the hallways, dispatching the occasional Grimm or Android with ease, before coming to a crossroads. One hallway went left, one hallway went right, and one hallway went forward.

"... Dora, you take the left." Adam said, and Dora nodded. "Sam, you take the right." Sam nodded, his eyes narrowed. "I'll take the straight path with Anino." Anino gave a small scoff, and Adam rolled his eyes before looking at Sam and Dora. "If something goes wrong or if you find something, try to call. If that doesn't work, shout. We'll get to you as fast as we can... Be careful."

"You too, big guy." Sam gave a light grin. Adam blinked, then gave a light smirk.

"Tch. Whatever." Adam ran off with Anino, and Dora and Sam ran off in their designated directions.

* * *

A pair of brown eyes watching surveillance footage narrowed. Jenna stood in a security room, gazing upon the ongoing battles and how her classmates fought them. It was impressive, but still - it would disrupt her father's plans if they were not stopped.

" _Napa..._ " A voice seemed to whisper in her head again. This time, she was unprepared for it, and she spun around, her eyes widening.

"Mom?!" She asked, but there was no response. Jenna raised a hand to her heart, her eyes wide as she felt it and heard it pounding in her ears, then she closed her eyes as her wolf-ears flicked back. "I have to do this. I have to do this..." She opened her eyes, and her eyes fell on a figure running alongside Adam. A Feral Faunus? "Hm."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Dora ran down a hallway, her eyes narrrowed. She wasn't sure about this, about any of it. Her teammate had lied, lied about everything - and it was even worse than when Adam had done it. It was much, much worse... But, she told herself, if they could get Jenna back and bring her home, she could forgive her. She just wanted this whole nightmare to end.

Dora turned a corner, and she blinked in surprise as she saw someone standing there, at the center of the hallway. Her clothes were different and the way she was standing seemed off, but as she looked up, Dora knew it was her.

"Jenna?" Dora asked, smiling in relief. Jenna gazed at her, her eyes narrowed, completely silent. "Jenna, thank the gods! We've been looking for you everywhere! We need to get you out of here and go home!"

"... I am home." Jenna announced coldly, and Dora's eyes widened as she gestured to the surrounding area. "This is where I grew up, Dora. Where I was raised, where I was educated, and where I assisted my father in his experiments. This is where my father is... And now, it is the place from which he and I will finish what we started." Jenna looked back at Dora. "It's time to save the world."

"Jenna-"

"And I'm going to have to ask you to stand down." Jenna declared, reaching back and removing her weapon from its holder, unfolding it into spear-mode. "Or I'm going to have to force you to."

"... Jenna, I'm not going to fight you!" Dora protested, stepping forward. "Now, quit it! We're here to save you, so you don't have to pretend that you're with him, anymore! We need to leave, before General Ironwood bombs the island!"

"It's too late for that." Jenna stated, and Dora blinked. "The Grimm and the Feral Faunus are ready. It's time to send them to the mainland and begin with my father's plan. Preparations are already underway... By the time General Ironwood reaches this place, we will be long gone."

"You can't do this!" Dora snapped, her eyes narrowing. "What your father's doing, it's inhuman! And now, he's brainwashed you into thinking he's right! Snap out of it and help us beat him!"

"... Dora, my father is trying to help the world." Jenna looked down, frowning. "His methods may seem extreme, but maybe extreme is what we need."

"Jenna, he's insane!" Dora exclaimed, glaring. "He's one of the reasons why Mountain Glenn fell, and he experimented on his own children! He experimented on you!"

"I know-"

"Then, what is this?!" Dora continued, scowling at her teammate. "Some sort of Stockholm Syndrome?! Jenna, you can't trust him! We have to stop him!"

"... I can't stop him." Jenna looked up at Dora, frowning. "He's doing this for all the right reasons. He's put the proper failsafes in place. He's not a bad person - he wants to help."

"What do you mean, _failsafes_?"

"While the bite of a Feral Faunus can infect a normal Faunus, the bite of a cured Feral can restore a wild Feral."

"So?"

"In each Feral Faunus, my father has implanted a capsule of proven cure. If he presses a certain button on his remote, all of the Feral he has created will be restored to their proper minds, and they can be used to cure the infected." Jenna announced simply, and Dora's eyes widened. "Similar capsules have been placed in the Grimm, but they will kill them if my father deems it time... Dora, no one needs to get hurt."

"Jenna-"

"If the White Fang stands down and the kingdoms agree to enforce Faunus Civil Rights laws, my father will cure the Ferals and his Grimm will slaughter the Grimm that plague the kingdoms! He's only doing this because we've run out of options! People are dying, Dora! People like Adam's parents, people like my mother!"

"But what happens if the White Fang doesn't stand down?! What if the kingdoms don't agree to help bring the peace?!"

"Then, the people placed in power will be even more foolish than my father believes!"

"So, what?! You're just submitting to your father's beliefs?!"

"No! They're my beliefs, too!"

"That's a load of-!"

"Dora!" Jenna put her weapon away, stepped forward and grabbed her teammate's shoulders, her eyes narrowing. "When my village was destroyed, the kingdoms did nothing. When Mountain Glenn was destroyed, the kingdoms did nothing. Now, the White Fang runs rampant and Faunus are slaves and the Grimm are stronger than ever, and the kingdoms sit in wait - like they're expecting a messiah of a Hunter or Atlesian invention that will never, ever come... My father offers a solution. I know that it's controversial, and I know that there are risks. But the people who have done this world wrong need to be brought to justice and held accountable if there is ever to be peace."

"... And what is your definition of _justice_ for these people?" Dora asked quietly, and Jenna blinked. Then, her eyes narrowed again.

"That depends on their willingness to seek redemption for what they've done." She replied, and Dora blinked. "Changing yourself is difficult, thus it is punishment and justice in itself... If the people who have committed all of these wrongs decide to change their ways and help the world as my father did, then that's justice enough. As for those who continue to seek conflict and death, imprisonment is justice enough - as, in prison, they will get neither of those things, not even their own deaths... Dora, we're trying to make things right. I have to help my father, and you have to understand."

"... I'm sorry." Dora announced, taking Jenna's hands from her shoulders and taking a step back, reaching for her bag. "I can't go along with a plan that involves using people against their will, regardless of this failsafe that can turn them back. They'll be shot in the streets before they can be cured. People will die... I have to stop you."

"Well... Then, I'm sorry, too." Jenna glared, taking a step back and reaching for a button on the wall. "... You've left me no other choice." Jenna hit the button, a door opening and revealing a mutated Beringel. Dora stepped back, her eyes wide, and Jenna raised her hand to point at Dora, glaring. "Take her to the docks. Don't harm her."

"It... It listens to you?!" Dora asked, then she yelped as the Beringel picked her up in one of its massive hands. Jenna nodded as Dora stared down at her, her eyes still narrowed.

"Of course it does. After all... We're both _lusus naturae_."

* * *

Dora kicked and fought as the Beringel carried her down a hallway, her eyes wide.

' _Jenna's head is really twisted around. She really thinks that her father isn't going to use the power he has to kill people?! I have to talk some sense into-!_ '

"Whoa!" Dora shouted, surprised, as a crimson blade sliced the Beringel's arm off, then she yelped as she fell, only to be caught by someone and held bridal-style. Dora looked up, stunned, to see Sam holding her as Adam sheathed his blade, having killed the Beringel.

"You know, if you two keep pulling stunts like that, people are going to get the wrong idea about your relationship." Adam announced, turning to Sam and Dora as the boy quickly set the girl down. "... Dora, have you seen Jenna or Merlot?"

"... I saw Jenna." Dora admitted, looking down. "Her head's really messed up. I don't know how exactly, but her father has her convinced that she's as freaky as the rest of his creations and that his methods are the only way to bring peace... She's helping him, but she doesn't want anyone - including us - to get hurt. She even told me how to stop the Grimm and cure the Feral - they have capsules implanted in them."

"She told you this?" Adam asked, and Dora nodded. "Then, there's still hope of reasoning with her... The three of us-" Out of nowhere, Anino leapt up and hugged Adam from behind, grinning childishly. Dora and Sam's eyes widened as Adam deadpanned, then the bull-Faunus rolled his eyes. "The _four_ of us nend to go after Jenna, convince her back onto our side, and go after Mer Lot together."

"Adam, I don't know." Dora shook her head. "Jenna... She really believes in all of this."

"... Beliefs can change." Adam announced simply, and she and Sam blinked. Then, he turned and ran down the hallway, the other three hesitating before following him.

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Jenna walked amongst massive containers of the serum in one of the storage rooms, her head bowed and her hands folded behind her back. Her wolf-ears were flicked back, and her eyes were closed as she paced, trying to clear her thoughts.

" _Napa..._ "

"Mom?" Jenna turned, frowning as she opened her eyes. Silence fell again, and she sighed. "I'm losing it..."

* * *

From catwalks above where Jenna was pacing, Team A(J)CS and Anino watched the young woman with concern.

"She's not doing good, man." Sam spoke quietly, shaking his head. "What are we gonna do?"

"... I'm going to distract her." Adam decided, and the other three looked at him. "Anino, lead Sam and Dora to your father. They can help you stop him." Anino blinked, then looked down at Jenna with a frown. "I know, but you're our best chance at stopping Merlot. I need you to do this."

"Hm." Anino closed his eyes, then he looked up at Adam with a frown. "You her... Friend?" Adam nodded, and Anino nodded in response. "Save her?"

"... Yes." Adam agreed, and Anino nodded again. Then, he turned and scurried down the catwalk, Sam and Dora having no time to say _goodbye_ as they had to follow him. Adam watched them go, frowning, then looked down at his partner. "Alright... Let's get this over with."

* * *

Jenna hugged herself, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"I'm going crazy. I'm going crazy..."

"Now, that's when we agree." A voice spoke, and Jenna's eyes widened as she turned to see Adam standing there amongst the canisters as well, glaring down at her from only a few yards away. "You really have cracked." Jenna blinked, then her eyes narrowed as she reached back and grabbed her weapon. "Don't."

"Where are the others?" Jenna demanded, her wolf-ears twitching. "Sam, Dora, and that Feral."

"I sent Sam and Dora with our new friend to go and take your father out." Adam replied coolly, and Jenna blinked. "It shouldn't be too hard for them. After all... Anino knows this place better than anyone else." Silence fell as Jenna's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What?"

"Anino is alive." Adam told her bluntly, and she looked down, stunned. "And he wants to stop your father from hurting anyone else... Help us."

"... Ani?" Jenna finally whispered, astonished. Adam blinked, then frowned.

"Jenna?"

"I..."

 ** _..._**

 ** _"Read the story again, Ani! Please..!"_**

 _ **"Alright, alright. Fine. Heh...** The First Story, Which Describes a Looking-Glass and the Broken Fragments **..."**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **"Am I doing this right, Ani?"**_

 _ **"Almost. Just tilt the beaker a little more."**_

 _ **"Like this?"**_

 _ **"Eh... Now, you've killed us."**_

 _ **"What?!"**_

 _ **"Ha!"**_

 _ **"Ani..!"**_

 _ **"Haha! You should have seen the look on your face!"**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **"** I've given you life,_

 _My lusus naturae!_

 _Open your eyes..! **"**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **"Ani!"**_

 _ **"G-go!"**_

 _ **"No! I won't, I can't! Ani, just hold on! I'll-"**_

 _ **"G-g-AHHHHHHHHH!"**_

 _ **"ANI!"**_

 _ **...**_

Jenna gazed at the floor for a long moment, then she looked up as she grabbed her weapon and shifted it into spear form.

"... You can't stop him." She announced quietly, her eyes meeting Adam's. "No one can... It's too late." Adam placed his hand on the hilt of his blade.

"What happened to you?" He asked, glaring. "Was everything at Beacon really a con? And if so, what was the point of it all?"

"I was a prisoner in that place, Adam." Jenna scowled, her ears flicking back. "But now, I'm free. And I remember exactly who and what I am."

"And that is?" Adam asked, his eyes narrowing further. Jenna sighed, closing her eyes, then she looked up, seeming forlorn.

"My name is Napa Merlot, and I am a _lusus naturae_." She replied, and Adam blinked. "A freak of nature." Adam's eyes widened as her eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry, partner... But this is for the greater good." With that, the daughter of Doctor Merlot darted forward and struck.

* * *

 ** _Well, then... Yeah._**

 ** _I'm sorry for such a short chapter. The next two are almost done, and they will be much longer - I promise. I just wanted to get this one out there because I didn't want people to think that this story is dead. It isn't, I'm just experiencing crunch-time due to finals._**

 ** _I only own my OCs. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


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